


Super Vigilante Team

by twinklingpaopufruit



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Action, Adventure, Alternate Universe - Superheroes/Superpowers, Angst, Aqualad Wonwoo, Beast Boy Hoshi, Blue Beetle Minghao, Bumble Bee Seungkwan, Crime Fighting, Fluff, Humor, Hurt and comfort, Kidflash Mingyu, M/M, Mars Jeonghan, Nightwing Jihoon, Origin Stories, Robin Dino, Robin Jihoon, Speedy Jun, Starfire Seokmin, Superboy Seungcheol, Superheroes, Witch Joshua, Wonder Boy Vernon, typical tv-14 violence, very plot heavy
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-07-16
Updated: 2020-11-25
Packaged: 2021-03-05 02:27:07
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 37,809
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25316773
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/twinklingpaopufruit/pseuds/twinklingpaopufruit
Summary: Jihoon didn't expect he and his best friend, Jun, would have to play caretaker to eleven other superheroes.An action-driven story of how 13 heroes save the world. Very Plot Heavy.Superhero AU
Relationships: Choi Seungcheol | S.Coups/Hong Jisoo | Joshua/Yoon Jeonghan, Jeon Wonwoo/Kwon Soonyoung | Hoshi, Kim Mingyu/Xu Ming Hao | The8, Lee Jihoon | Woozi/Wen Jun Hui | Jun
Comments: 46
Kudos: 84





	1. S1 Episode 1: The Orphan

**SICHUAN FOREST** **  
** **2006 August 9, 5:25 a.m. CST**

Jun sucked in too much cold air prompting his eyes to sting. He could hear the men behind him chase him through the dense forest. Broken branches and twigs scraped against his knees and cheeks. Blood trickled down his face, and his left ankle dragged uselessly behind him. He had twisted it by the river bend ten minutes ago.

Everything in his body pleaded him to rest. He couldn't. He only had one thought: live. 

The men approached quicker. Jun heard the slashing of swords slicing through the dense forest. He knew that if the men caught him, mercy would not save him.

He proceeded to dash down the hill, rocks scraping against his injured ankle.

For a moment, he feared to fail his mission. 

Then, a man in a green hood jumped in front of him.

Jun jumped back in terror, hand falling to his hip until he remembered he dropped his knife back at the river. 

The man in the hood didn't say anything. He held a bow in his right hand, set an arrow, pulled the string taut—Jun flinched as a body tumbled from the trees.

Then another arrow was pulled. And another. Then two more bodies crashed to the floor. 

"Come with me," The hooded man said.

It would be foolish to say no. 

**GOTHAM CITY** **  
** **2006 September 15, 2:32 a.m. EST**

The clicking of keys was a familiar sound to Jihoon. He hummed a tune as his father worked beside him. From the floor, he glanced up at him and smirked. His father's back was hunched like a hook as his nose was an inch from his screen. 

"Straight back," Jihoon teased, returning his attention to the computer parts littered around him. 

His father groaned and shimmied his shoulders to sit up. Jihoon's parents would always say the exact same words to him when Jihoon practiced piano, so his father couldn't complain. His father looked down at him and perched his glasses over his head.

"Jihoon," His father reprimanded once he saw the state of the dismantled computer.

"What?" Jihoon challenged. "I'll put it back." 

Jihoon was at his father's office. His father was the Gotham Times investigative editor and would usually spend long hours in this very room.

It was a pretty cramped and dull room in Jihoon's opinion. The room was shared with three other people and was perpetually messy. Piles of papers, news-clippings, and files drowned the room. The large window was the only thing that provided an illusion of open space. His father's desk was pressed right up against it, so he always had a decent view of the city. 

Typically, Jihoon would have already been in bed. But his babysitter had to study for a chemistry test, so Jihoon's father had brought him to work, and the time had gotten away from them both. They were the only two people in the building. 

Jihoon didn't mind. He liked to spend time with his father, and he got to play with the computers his father's office had received from Kye Tech. 

"It's not that I doubt you won't be able to put it back, but you should be asking permission before taking apart a one-thousand dollar worth computer," His father stated. 

"With this RAM? This goes for two thousand easy," Jihoon replied.

"Oh, that makes me feel a lot better, Woozi."

"I'm going to be ten soon!" Jihoon whined. "You need to stop calling me that."

His father laughed deep and loud, "But you're our Jihoonie!"

Jihoon stuck his tongue out at his father. He reached for the network and graphics card and began to install them into the computer. "What are you working on?" Jihoon asked.

His father groaned and slid back to his computer screen. "My team and I have been working on a series of investigations regarding corrupt cops and police officials in Gotham."

Jihoon scrunched his brows and looked up at his father, "Cops, can be bad?"

" _ Anyone can, _ Jihoon. Remember that."

Jihoon nodded firmly. 

Suddenly, they heard the elevator ping and Jihoon looked out the door of his father's office. He smiled when he saw his mother.

Jihoon abandoned the computer on the ground and rushed up to hug her. She hugged him tightly and waited for Jihoon to pull away first.

"What is my little Woozi doing out of bed this late?" His mother teased.

"Ailee had a chemistry test," Jihoon answered. He returned to his work station and carefully inserted the motherboard against the panel. 

His mother looked at the parts scattered on the ground, "Hmm, this is last year's model. We just got upgraded to the newest one last week."

Jihoon's eyes opened wide, and he smiled brightly. 

"No, Jihoon," She said fondly. "I need those computers, but I promise when we get new ones again, I'll bring one of the old ones home for you."

Jihoon grinned. He adored his mother, although he didn't often get to see her. His mother was the hospital administrator for Gotham General. She was always caught up in long business meetings, health planning councils, and running or attending fundraising events. So, when he did get to see her, it always brightened up Jihoon's day.

"I should be taking you home soon, though. You have your recital tomorrow--well tonight now--and you still need to practice," His mother said.

"I've been practicing!" Jihoon set his hands in front of him and mimed playing the piano. He topped it off with humming the tune.

"Ah, so you decided to go with the "A Song of a Robin"?" His mother asked fondly.

"You always said it was your favorite song."

She smiled big and beautiful and turned to her husband when he said, "We can all go home in about five more minutes. I'm almost done here."

She nodded and leaned against his desk. 

"How was your staff meeting?" His father asked, continuing to type away on his computer. 

His mother hummed part of the "A Song of Robin" to get a quick chuckle from Jihoon, "Long, but I was able to convince everyone that we shouldn't merge with Arkham Asylum. They should have the power to run how they see fit. If we were to merge, it would be catastrophic for both our systems. What about you? Are you still…?"

Jihoon curiously looked up at his mother's pause. 

"This story needs to get published," His father responded sternly.

"But…"

His father pushed away from his desk and spun his chair to face her. "It's the right thing to do."

"I'm just worried about how you came to get this information."

His father snuck a quick glance at him, "It's fine. I promise that—"

The three of them jumped out of their skin as they heard the elevator ping on their floor. 

_ "Is there a Mr. Lee here?"  _ A voice cackled, loud and grating.

Jihoon's father gasped. He quickly stood and rushed to Jihoon, lifting him to his feet. Several footsteps echoed down the hallway. "Get under the desk," His father whispered. "And don't come out."

"What?"

"Jihoon. Listen to me. Get under the desk. Do not make any sound."

Jihoon nodded, anxiety filling his system. His father shoved him underneath his coworker's desk. It was the only desk where the hallway's light could not reach. Jihoon curled into a ball and tried to make himself as small as possible. He heard his father speak to his mother, "Go to the emergency exit, it's down to the hall to your left—"

_ "—Mr. Lee, I presume?" _ The same voice spoke.

Jihoon jumped in his spot and held his breath. 

"Yes?" His father spoke.

"How are you doing?" The man asked. The way his voice became high-pitched sent shivers down Jihoon's spine. Slowly, Jihoon uncurled from his spot and peeked through the tiny small gap underneath the desk. 

He could see his father standing in front of his mother, shielding her from the five men inside the office. Four of them were wearing plastic Halloween clown masks and had rifles strapped to their shoulders. The fifth made Jihoon's heart hammer dangerously against his chest. He was a man with caked white face paint and crudely drawn red lips in the shape of a haunting smile. His greasy green hair was pushed back against his sunken face. He had seen this man all over the news: The Joker. 

Jihoon feared he would be caught with how loud his heart was beating. Surely if Jihoon could hear it, so could the others in the room. 

"What do you want?" His father questioned. His voice was trembling, and that didn't soothe Jihoon's nerves.

The Joker laughed and waved his arms about, "That's not very polite! You have to say, I'm good. And you? Right?" The Joker snarled, turning back to his goons for confirmation.

They all nodded. 

"We have to follow societal conventions!" The Joker giggled, "Our society will just fall apart if we didn't obey them. Wouldn't it?"

"What do you want?" His father repeated.

The Joker huffed and glared at him. "How. Are. You. Doing?"

"We're good, thanks. And you?" His mother said through gritted teeth. 

The Joker laughed again. "Ah, such a classy woman. I can see who has manners here. And since you asked so nicely, I am completely and utterly angry. I shouldn't be angry. We should all be smiling and laughing all the time, but you, Mr. Lee, have brought my mood down. Do you know why?"

Jihoon saw his father glance at his computer. 

The Joker saw the action. He marched forward and kicked the computer off the desk. Jihoon slapped his hands to his face to stop gasping out in shock. 

"Oh!" The Joker snarled again. "You do know why I'm here." He walked back to his father and stood very close to him. "But I want to hear you say it."

Jihoon saw his father tighten his jaw, "You're paying off police officials while you and your goons terrorize Gotham's streets."

The Joker nodded very proudly, "Yes, it's true. Cops cave so easily to the color green, but don't we all? And I heard you compiled a nice list of all the people involved in this little scheme, didn't you? Down to the tip of the shoes to the top of the very head. Very clever man."

"I won't publish it," His father said.

"Oh?"

"Just let me and my wife go, and I won't ever publish the story, please."

The Joker smiled. "See, I can't do that. Because then I gotta pull double duty and then threaten the members of your investigative team, and I don't have the time for that. I have a date later tonight, and I'm not a man to go against my prior engagements. You know how that is. That's how you got your wife."

His father pleaded again. 

The Joker hummed. He crossed his arms in front of him and placed a finger underneath his chin. 

"Please," His mother said next. "We'll give you money. Anything. Just let us go."

The Joker dropped his arms to his sides, "Typically, I would take some cash, but seeing as you have zero assets after I just burned your townhome to the ground and my men are currently robbing a bank at this moment, your money doesn't seem to be important."

Jihoon held in his whimper at what the man had just said. He could feel tears streaming down his face, and it was getting harder to breathe. 

The Joker grinned. He cackled and turned to his goons for a moment where they laughed with him. "Now. I can make this quick and easy. See, Mr. Lee, you are the warning. I shoot you, and your team is scared shitless to ever come near this story ever again. In fact, I think they'll stop investigating anything going on in Gotham all together. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Ple—" His father didn't get to finish before the Joker whipped out his gun from the waistband of his pants and fired two bullets into his father's skull. Two more shots rang out in his mother's direction. 

Jihoon bit his lip until he tasted blood and dug his fingers against his ears. 

He could see their bodies on the ground. His parents. His—

"What do we do with the building boss?" One of the goons squad. "Burn it?"

"Nah," The Joker chuckled. "I don't want to alert Batman of what happened here. Let's head out, I wasn't kidding. I do have a date. Oh, you should see her: tiny and quintessential adorable little thing."

The men left. 

The minutes passed.

Jihoon slowly crawled out from underneath the desk and hesitantly walked forward. Jihoon released a broken sob and sank to the bottom of the floor.

**GOTHAM CITY** **  
** **2006 September 23, 8:37 a.m. EST**

"And this will be your room," The old woman said.

Jihoon cautiously stepped inside, clutching his backpack. He glanced around the room, feeling as if the walls were closing in on him. There were three bunk beds, each one pressed against a wall to maximize whatever space was left. It definitely didn't look up to code, but no one was going to say anything as long as poor orphans had a place to sleep.

Currently, there weren't any kids inside the room as the old woman guided him to his bed. It was a small bed with faded blue sheets and a single flattened pillow. Jihoon set his stuff down on the bottom bunk, and the mattress squeaked with the weight. 

"They're at school right now," The old woman answered, even though Jihoon didn't ask. "You'll be enrolled in the local school in about a week or two, okay?"

Jihoon weakly nodded.

"Do you need anything else, dear?"

_ My parents. My life. _ "No."

The woman gave him a panged smile but left him alone. Jihoon sat at the edge of the bed. His chest constricted painfully, feeling suddenly short of breath. He pressed a hand to his sternum and rubbed. The tightness hadn't dissipated as Jihoon had hoped. 

The second the officers had found him clutching his mother, to when he was giving his statement, and sitting in court, Jihoon hadn't been able to relax.

He sucked in a deep breath and held it as he sunk his head to his knees. Jihoon just wanted to go home, but he couldn't. The man who had killed his parents had burned his townhome to the ground. All his possessions were gone. His entire family was gone. When his lungs started to burn, Jihoon let out the breath and sucked another one through his mouth. 

His vision turned blurry around the edges. Whether from tears or lack of oxygen, Jihoon could not determine. 

He had loved his father and mother. He had idolized them both. Gotham Times investigative editor and Gotham General's hospital administrator were Gotham's most exceptional people. City officials always complimented his parents for their dedication and passion to the city. Jihoon had seen it. His father worked late at night, determined to let the public know the truth. His mother poured away over meetings to make sure her patient's and staff's needs were met. 

Jihoon loved their hard work and dedication. He had loved his parents. 

But…

What the Joker had done...

He had taken away everything from Jihoon. His parent's goodness, his life. Jihoon had nothing. 

Jihoon let out a choked sob. He sat up to roll against the mattress and press his nose against the popcorn-textured wall. Jihoon reached out a hand and ran his fingers through the wall's bumps. 

Jihoon began to cry, and the stress chained around his body pulled even tighter. 

**GOTHAM CITY** **  
** **2006 September 30, 9:00 a.m. EST**

It had only been eight days, but Jihoon had come to one conclusion about this place. He hated it. He didn't want to be in this stupid orphanage anymore. He wanted to go home. He had spent most of his time crying. The other boys in the room didn't say much to him. An older, bulky kid had tried to bully and tease him for it, and the staff had tried to stop it. They had only made it worse, and each night, the kid would steal Jihoon's dinner. 

He was sitting on a crumby old school bus. The seat cushions had seen better days with their torn-off cheap leather and years-old-gum stuck to the windows. Beside him, an older, tall, and lanky boy he roomed with was speaking with him. 

The boy had told him his name, but Jihoon couldn't focus much on anything, and he was too embarrassed to ask again. 

"This whole place is a joke!" The boy cried out over the loud ruckus of the bus. All the kids from the orphanage were boarding. The old lady and other people who worked there were trying to break up a fight between two girls upfront. 

"You know a lot of us don't have dead parents like you. You're the lucky one," The boy rambled on. "Stupid social workers want to reconnect us with our parents and make them take stupid classes and shit. Like I wanna go back to my old man." 

Jihoon half-heartedly listened and stared at Gotham's city orphanage through the window. There was a stupid billboard printed out in front: a young child hugging a woman with bold black lettering saying: INVESTING IN A BRIGHTER FUTURE. 

At least the other boy was right in that department. This whole place was a joke. 

The bus groaned and shook as the engine started up. The workers had finally settled down the children, and they were finally moving. It was Saturday. No school. Not yet, at least. Jihoon didn't want to go to school anymore. What was the point?

He finally acknowledged the boy. "Where are we going?"

"On our monthly stupid motivational field trips. I think we're headed to Kye Tech Industries today." 

Jihoon nodded and pressed his forehead against the window, mindful of the gum underneath his nose. His eyes followed the streets of Gotham. The morning sun crept over the shop buildings, but its light was melting the thick smoggy hair, creating an unappealing orange haze across the city. 

Garbage was piled along the sidewalks. The streets were crowded with the poor, the elderly, and the unlucky. Jihoon's eyes caught a woman pushing her one-year-old child on a busted stroller. A homeless man approached her, asking for money, but the woman kept walking, pretending that she hadn't heard him.

Jihoon sighed and shut his eyes. This was nothing like where he grew up in Gotham. He remembered his beautiful, immaculate white townhome. It had its own private garden on the roof where his father used to spend his free time with him. They used to bury their hands in fertilizer, giggling when earthworms tangled against their fingers. Jihoon remembered his mother's study. There was a piano that he and his mother used to play. Sometimes, Jihoon would hold small concerts for the neighbors out on the street. The neighbors were always neatly dressed with subtle brand labels strewn upon their person. 

Jihoon had never realized how much Gotham was divided. Dreams couldn't happen here. They were beyond reach. 

He recalled sitting across from an overworked social worker in her mid 50's. Her office was cramped and run-down, stacks of folders piled high to the ceiling in front of her. "Your parents never wrote a will...and neither of them had any next of kin…"

Jihoon did not remember the rest, only white noise. 

The school bus finally arrived at Kye Tech. Jihoon stepped off the school bus and stared up at the skyscraper in front of him. The 67-floor building had stainless steel canopies with glass-enclosed bridges at the second-floor level. The black-colored panels stretched up to the large KT molded to the center of the building. 

Jihoon was actually marveled at the sight. He had never been to Kye Tech but had always dreamed of it. He religiously followed the "Science Division," a weekly magazine. He was enraptured in the company's newest technological advancements, but his parents had never had the time to take him there. 

Jihoon followed the other children inside the building. The chaperones spoke at the lobby with a nice looking woman, and she handed them each visitor badges. Two boys stuck their visitor badges onto their foreheads, and already one of the ladies from the orphanage was yelling at them. Jihoon rolled his eyes. 

A few minutes later, a woman in a clean black blazer and pencil skirt came to greet them. 

"Hello, everyone. I'm Park Soo Ah, and I am your tour guide for this morning and afternoon." 

Kids shoved at each other to get closer to the front of the line, but Jihoon was content to be in the back with the other adults. While he knew he should have been excited to be here, he just wasn't feeling it. 

The tour guide took them through a maze of hallways and rooms, giving them sneak-peeks at different technology that Kye Tech was developing. Many of them were flying drones, one was some sort of ice blaster that froze at absolute zero, and another was a new processing core that they were developing. 

When they reached the end of the tour, Park Soo Ah was taking them to a private gaming room for kids. The same boy from the bus kept close to him and was chatting away about all the cool stuff that they had seen, but Jihoon struggled to concentrate. 

Accidentally, he collided with a group of kids in front of him. Jihoon rubbed his nose and glanced around, wondering why they had stopped.

Kye Tech's CEO, Kye Bumzu, was walking toward them at the end of the hallway. He wore a clean press expensive suit and tie, and he was flocked by several assistants, discussing schedules and holding digital tablets for him to sign. 

"Hello, Ms. Park," Kye Bumzu greeted. "Is this our tour group for the day?"

All the kids nodded and looked up at him with wide-eyes. Jihoon continued to stand in the back. Kye Bumzu smiled brightly at all of them and ignored an assistant who called his name. Jihoon had read everything about this twenty-nine-year-old man. Kye Bumzu's parents had been murdered outside a theater in Gotham when he had been just eight years old. He had been allowed to stay in the Kye Manor under his butler's legal guardianship until he was to turn eighteen and could take over his father's company. Despite his tragic upbringing, Kye Bumzu was a genius. He had graduated from Gotham University at just sixteen years old. However, unfortunately, he had gone missing during his vacation in the East Asia Sea with the CEO and son of SJ-M Enterprises. Kye Bumzu had returned to Gotham nearly three years after his disappearance, rescued from a deserted island in the East Asia Sea. The newly resurfaced man immediately fired all the Board of Directors. He took over his deceased father's company, where he had transformed the multi-million company to what it was today. 

Kye Bumzu said his greetings to every kid, but then his eyes locked on his.

"Jihoon?" The man questioned. "Lee Jihoon?"

All the kids whipped their heads toward him. 

Jihoon smiled, "Hi Mr. Kye," he returned politely.

"What are you doing here?" Kye Bumzu questioned with a bemused expression.

Before Jihoon could answer, one of the assistants pleaded, "Sir, please. You have a video conference in five minutes with the Board of Directors of SJ-M."

Kye Bumzu chuckled, "Please, what's Zhou Mi going to do? Cut off our company's investments?"

The assistant squawked, scared that would exactly happen. The man said his goodbyes and continued walking down the hallway. 

"Alright, kids. Let's keep it moving!" Their tour guide called.

The children followed her, whispering ecstatically over getting to meet the CEO.

The kid that Jihoon has been stuck with bumped shoulders with him. "He knew your name!" The kid exclaimed. Several other children were now eavesdropping.

Jihoon nodded and explained, "He had been a family friend. He only came over to my mom's charity functions for the city and always donated to the hospital."

"That's so cool!" The kid screeched.

Jihoon could not share his enthusiasm, suddenly stuck in the memories of his parents.

They arrived in a giant room that looked like every kid's dream. There was a giant ball pit in the center of the room, but it was unlike any other. Several of the balls hovered in the air and could lift a hundred pounds into the air. Against the wall were virtual reality games and pinball machines that lit up and deposited candy for every successful save. 

Jihoon awkwardly hovered next to the pinball machine as all the kids fought over the headset for the virtual reality game. He pressed the start button and pulled the lever to launch the pinball. He played for an hour lost in a trance, his fingers moving rhythmically against the two buttons. Some kids came to watch but got bored when Jihoon wouldn't engage with them in conversation. 

"Excuse me," A woman's voice said softly next to him. Jihoon looked up at her, and the pinball beside him made a dinging noise as his ball fell. The woman was their tour guide, and she had a soft smile. "Mr. Kye would like to speak with you."

"Me?" Jihoon asked in disbelief.

"Yes. If you would follow me, please."

"But what about the group?"

"They are entertained. Don't worry, the group won't leave without you." 

Jihoon followed her out of the room and down the hallway where Kye Bumzu had left. The woman ushered him inside into a large staff meeting room, and she shut the door, returning to the other children.

Jihoon looked around the office. Everything seemed to be made of glass, including the staff table in the center of the room. Silver desk chairs lined the counter, and Kye Bumzu sat at the head of it. 

"Jihoon," Kye Bumzu declared.

"Hi?" Jihoon said awkwardly, stuffing his hands inside the pockets of his hoodie.

"Sorry for interrupting your tour, but I had heard what happened to your family and…"

Jihoon lightly kicked out his foot and threw his gaze to the ground. Kye Bumzu immediately stopped talking. He stood to his feet and walked around the staff table, leaning against it with his hip to stare at Jihoon. 

"I'm so terribly sorry," The CEO said. "Incredibly so."

Jihoon looked back up and met the man's eyes. He actually seemed genuine in his apology, so Jihoon was confused. "Why are you sorry?"

The man unclasped his suit and leaned further into the desk. "I—" he paused. "I know what it feels like to lose your parents like that."

"Oh," Jihoon said, not knowing how to reply. 

"Those kids, are you in school now?"

Jihoon shook his head. "I'm not returning to my old school. There's no one to take care of me there. They dumped me in an orphanage until they can figure out what to do with me."

"I'm sorry to hear that."

"It's not your fault," Jihoon stated, clutching his hands into fists inside his pockets. There was a moment of silence in the room until Jihoon impatiently asked, "Why did you call for me?"

Kye Bumzu smiled haphazardly and sighed, "After...hearing on the news about your parents' deaths, it reminded me of mine. Losing your parents that young can really damage someone. And I feel extremely res…" He took a long pause this time. "I followed up with my assistants once the story had been all over the press. They had informed me that you had been transferred to the Gotham orphanage. So I reached out to them and offered an all-expense tour."

"You planned this?"

"Yes, because I..." Kye Bumzu seemed hesitant, but he carried forward. "I wanted to put in the paperwork to adopt you."

"What?" That's not what Jihoon had been expecting.

"I knew your parents."

"I know you did. You came to my parent's charity functions."

"I mean, I knew your father past those events. I helped him sometimes with his work."

"You did?" 

Jihoon never remembered his father mentioning Kye Bumzu. If he had, Jihoon would have demanded to meet the CEO personally. 

The man frowned but pressed on. "I have nearly all the paperwork finished, but I thought I would extend the courtesy of asking you first before submitting anything."

Jihoon was extremely confused. "I still don't understand why you want to adopt me."

Kye Bumzu sighed loudly through his mouth this time. He walked forward and kneeled on one knee, so he was at eye-level with Jihoon. "I knew your father and the reason for his death."

Jihoon's mouth parted. There hadn't been any information leaked to the press about his father's investigation. Jihoon, as far as he knew, was the only one. "Why didn't you say anything?"

"It's complicated. But I can promise you, adopting you will be for your safety." 

"What do you mean?"

"Because I can keep you safe. You need to trust me, please. I failed terribly with your father, Jihoon, and now he and his wife paid the price for my mistakes. I'm offering you a chance that not many children get. You will have the best schooling, access to resources your parents never had, I can help provide for you and take care of you." 

"Why is it your mistake?" Jihoon asked, focusing on that statement.

"Because I was the one who provided him with the list."

Jihoon gasped and took a step back. 

"Jihoon, I didn't intend for your parents to be murdered."

He wrung his hands tightly now inside his pockets. He shook his head, thinking about his father's goodness. "It's not your fault," He mumbled.

"I'm sorry?"

"My dad always believed that bad people deserved consequences. That's what you believe, too, right? That's why you gave him the information? You knew my dad was the best journalist in the city, and he would definitely get the information out there."

Kye, Bumzu nodded. "I did, yes, but not at the cost of their lives."

"The Joker killed my parents. Not you," Jihoon said.

Kye Bumzu gave him a long look that Jihoon could not read. Jihoon stared at his face carefully, studying it to learn what the other man could be thinking. The only thing he could see that was out of place was a jaw that trembled slightly, almost like the CEO was trying not to cry. Jihoon asked, "Will I live with you?"

"It's up to you."

Jihoon thinned his lips. Kye Bumzu was a man he had idolized like his parents. He was a good man and wanted to advance technology in the city to help its people.

"Okay," Jihoon finally said. "Okay."

"Yeah?" Kye Bumzu gasped with a smile. 

"When?"

Kye Bumzu stood to his full height and smugly grinned, "With my resources, I can pick you up tonight."

Jihoon gasped out in relief.

The chains that were weighing him down got a tiny bit lighter.

When Jihoon had returned to the orphanage, he had stuffed his few belongings into his backpack. He sat patiently on his bed, ignoring dinner, and just waited. He couldn't be ready to get out of this dying part of the city. The other boys entered the room and stared at Jihoon strangely but didn't say anything. 

It was approaching midnight, and Jihoon was getting worried. Maybe Kye Bumzu was lying—he wasn't going to come to get him. And if he was lying to him about this, then surely he must have been lying about his parents. 

"Lee Jihoon?"

Jihoon's head snapped to the doorway. A burly man was standing at the door. Jihoon did not recognize him, but he had a 'Gotham Orphanage' pin on his left breast pocket. Jihoon stood, clutching his backpack to his chest.

"Y-yes?" Jihoon stuttered.

"There's someone here for you."

Jihoon truly smiled for the first time in these past eight days. He nodded vigorously and followed the man down the hallway. They passed by several rooms, kids softly snoring and sleeping. There was a moment where Jihoon felt guilty over leaving. It was luck that Jihoon had caught Kye Bumzu's sympathy. If he hadn't been born to influential people in the city, then the CEO of Kye Tech would have never been interested. He was going to be saved. Truly. And what were these kids going to get?

His mind drew the images of the streets of Gotham. The same streets that his parents had tried so hard to help.

Jihoon vowed to come back. To help all of them. It just wasn't fair. 

They bypassed the office on the first floor of the orphanage. Jihoon looked on, confused, "Don't papers have to be signed?" Jihoon asked.

The burly man huffed, "Paperworks, all done." They walked to the entrance, and the door was pushed open.

A fancy black limo was parked out in front. Jihoon sighed in relief; he had come. 

Jihoon turned to the burly man to tell him goodbye, but two strong arms were suddenly wrapped around him. A heavy hand was clasped over his mouth and nose, and the other around his stomach. The man lifted him into the air. What the—

Jihoon immediately struggled. His heart stuttered inside his chest. His breath wanted to come out in sharp pants, but his source of oxygen was cut off. God, he couldn't even scream. He tried to lift his legs and kick, but the man's hold was too strong.

Jihoon's eyes opened wide when he saw another man wearing a clown mask laugh and open up the limo. Jihoon was thrown inside. He jumped to the door to open it, but the car door's locks would not budge. Jihoon gasped and slowly turned to the rest of the limo. His heart sunk, and he felt like he was going to piss himself when he saw the same man who had killed his parents, sitting calmly across the limo. He had on the same white face paint and terribly drawn red lips. His arms were thrown over the back of his seat, displaying his oversized purple-feathered coat. His green hair was greasy and fell against his cheekbones, shrouding his left eye as his right one stared Jihoon down. 

"Jihoon, is it?"

Jihoon didn't answer. He was paralyzed in fear. He jumped in his seat when a gun was placed at his temple. Tentatively, Jihoon looked to his left and saw another man with a clown mask sitting right next to him.

"Answer him!" The man shouted.

"Now, now," The man said. "We got to treat our guests nicely. If Mr. Lee Jihoon doesn't want to talk, then he won't talk." He cackled loudly, and the sound grated his ears. He reached inside his pocket, "Lollipop?"

Jihoon shook his head, breathing rapidly. 

"That's right," The Joker said. "Only good kids get candy, and you've been a naughty sneaky little boy, haven't you?"

Jihoon was quiet.

"Haven't you?!" The Joker screamed loudly.

"I don't know what you're talking about," Jihoon cried.

The Joker huffed. He stomped his foot twice, and the limo began to move. No, Jihoon's chances of escaping were gone. 

"You were there the night I killed your parents. You know what I've been doing."

"I don't know anything," Jihoon yelled.

"Lies!" The Joker shrieked back. "Children shouldn't lie."

Jihoon whimpered and curled in on himself. 

"You know exactly what I'm talking about!" The Joker shouted. "If word gets out that I've been bribing the cops, I can say goodbye to my little operations. So, we aren't going to have that now, are we?"

Jihoon took deep breaths out his nose, positive that he was hyperventilating. "I won't say anything. I promise!"

The Joker laughed and turned to address his goon. "Should we do a pinky promise with him?"

"I won't say anything!" Jihoon repeated. 

"Yeah, I'm not taking my chances. Kill him."

"Wait—" Jihoon cried the exact moment something had crashed against the car. 

Jihoon was jolted forward and fell forward onto the limo's carpet. The goon beside him was rocked off to the side, his gun falling away from his hands.

"What in blazes—" The Joker cried out, right when something else collided against the limo. Hard.

Jihoon gasped and sunk his nails into the floor, trying to hold on. He could feel the limo swerving. 

Finally, the limo crashed against something and stopped moving altogether. All three people were thrown around the car like ragdolls. Jihoon was breathing heavily, and he slowly sat up. Jihoon looked at the man and the Joker. The man was dangling out a shattered window, while the Joker was passed out and bleeding heavily from the corner of his temple. 

Jihoon felt dizzy. He clutched his head, and it came back sticky. Jihoon looked at his fingers and saw blood. 

Suddenly, he screamed in surprise when the door was pulled open. Jihoon balled his hands into fists, preparing himself for whoever was on the other side. However, Jihoon swore he was hallucinating when he saw the impending black figure on the other side of the car door. It was a man wearing a black polymer suit with a giant bat painted across his chest.

"Batman," Jihoon whispered.

He had seen grainy news footage of Gotham's vigilante, but he had never thought he would see him.

"Kid, are you okay?" Batman asked.

Jihoon nodded stupidly.

Batman stretched out an arm, and Jihoon took the offered hand. Batman pulled him from the wreckage onto solid ground. Jihoon quickly looked around, but he didn't recognize the streets.

"C'mon, Joker's goons shouldn't be too far. The police are coming too. I've already alerted them," Batman said.

Batman let go of his hand and walked away. Jihoon stood stupidly in front of the wrecked limo when Batman turned back to him. "Aren't you coming?" Batman questioned.

Jihoon gasped. He ran to catch up with him.

Batman led him down the way to a black car—well, that was putting it mildly. In fact, it looked more like a giant tank, except with a sleeker design.

"That's the Batmobile," Jihoon said with surprise. He had seen footage of this too. 

Batman looked at him, but Jihoon couldn't see his expression with the black cowl covering most of his face. 

"Yes, I guess that's what the news has been calling it," Batman said, opening the door. Jihoon peeked around him and saw it was a two-seater. Batman urged him to get on.

Jihoon didn't know what to say, but he would instead take his chances with Batman than the Joker. 

Batman didn't start the Batmobile until Jihoon had put on the four-point safety belt across his chest. When the engine rumbled, and Batman stepped on the gas, the car sped into the city streets. Jihoon sucked in a breath and clutched the bottom of the seat. 

"Where are we going?" Jihoon asked.

"I'm taking you somewhere safe," Batman answered.

Jihoon nodded weakly. His head was starting to pound, and he was feeling drowsy. He scrunched his eyes shut and then opened them to get a better look inside the Batmobile. This would be his only chance to actually look. 

There was a computer screen in the center console with a map of the city. Certain streets were colored differently than others, and Jihoon could see the traffic light system from the computer screen. The traffic lights would turn green when the Batmobile would approach an intersection, and Batman would continue driving, swerving seamlessly through traffic. If the Batmobile could influence the traffic system, that would mean that all the electrical, audio, and graphic processors would need to be on a single chip. Jihoon leaned back against his seat as they swerved past a truck transporting gas. The engine didn't sound like regular cars either. Jihoon didn't know too much about cars, but he would guess that the engine depended on electronic engineering. This type of technology was decades above anything Jihoon had ever encountered. It was almost similar to what he had read about in "Science Division," on the company— 

"This is Kye Tech," Jihoon said aloud, turning to his left to look at Batman.

Batman tightened his hold on the steering wheel, and his jaw clenched underneath his mask. Even though it was tight, Jihoon swore he recognized that jaw. He had just seen it up close earlier today.

"Kye Bumzu?" Jihoon questioned. 

Batman huffed out through his nose, "You know how many people I've saved. You're the only one to figure that out."

"Oh my god. I'm right? You're Kye Bumzu? Batman is the Kye Bumzu!" Jihoon exclaimed.

He must have been dreaming. He had hit his head when the limo had crashed, and the Batman had not saved him. He was still in the Joker's clutches. He was probably already dead. 

Except, Batman kept talking, "Hey, kid are you okay?"

Jihoon was panicking now and struggling to control his breath. He tried sucking in the air, but he was only choking on it. He didn't even know that was possible. God, his chest hurt, his head was pulsating so painfully now.

"We're almost there, hold on."

Jihoon's hands came to clutch his head, and he tried to fold in on himself, but the seatbelt was preventing him from moving. 

Oh god. 

The Batmobile made some more sharp turns, and suddenly it stopped. Jihoon couldn't hear the engine rumbling anymore or the honking of cars. He could only hear his quick breath and the sound of his heart. He was going to die. He just knew it, or vomit, whichever came first.

Two hands unlatched his seatbelt, and before Jihoon could collapse onto his lap, two arms gripped him and pulled him out.

Jihoon clutched whoever was grabbing him until he was placed onto a cold metal table. 

"Jihoon." The figure said. Who was talking? And how did he know his name?

"Jihoon!" The man gripped his shoulder and forced him to look up. Batman?

Jihoon watched as Batman removed his black cowl. It was Kye Bumzu. Holy hell.

"You need to calm down. You're in shock," Kye Bumzu said.

Jihoon knew he needed to breathe, but why did every breath feel so constricting on his chest. Was he really dying? Was he going to die like his parents? Oh, god. His parents! They were dead because of the Joker. The Joker had murdered his father because his father dared to try to speak the truth. 

Jihoon sucked in a harsh breath as Kye Bumzu brought both arms around him into a hug. He regained his breathing, but he was crying now. Blood ran down the right side of his face, and tears were falling down his puffy red cheeks. 

"You should have been there for them," Jihoon sobbed into his shoulder.

"I know."

Jihoon pushed away from Kye Bumzu and choked out a broken wail. He folded his body to hide from the world. His face pressed against his knees, and he cried. Kye Bumzu hovered awkwardly next to him, not knowing what to say. 

"Now, the Joker is after me," Jihoon said into his knees. "He knows I know about the bribes. He's going to kill me. He almost did."

"Not if I'm around," Kye Bumzu said sternly.

Jihoon uncurled himself and hesitantly looked up at him. The man's face was tense and confident. 

"I promise you, Jihoon. No harm will come to you."

Jihoon wanted to believe him. Kye Bumzu had helped the city so much already, and so had Batman. 

Kye Bumzu hung his head, "I know after everything that has happened today, you must want nothing to do with me. If you wish, I can set you up with a nice family across the country where the Joker will never find you."

Jihoon was slightly awed that Kye Bumzu would go to those lengths to make sure he was cared for. However, he was hesitant to say yes to this new proposition.

If he left Gotham, that was it. There would be no coming back. If he stayed...if he stayed...Jihoon did not know what would happen if he stayed in Gotham. 

He was lost in his thoughts for several long moments, but suddenly he felt something ache terribly against his head. Jihoon noticed that Kye Bumzu had neared him and used some weird clamp device to pull something from his head.

"It doesn't look like you have a concussion," The man said. "Just a few pieces of glass got stuck here at your temple. None of them are deep enough to require stitches, so you'll be good." 

Jihoon didn't reply. He let the man patch him up and dress his injury. He applied a small band-aid across his temple and smoothed his thumb there. 

He hadn't realized that he had shut his eyes. He opened them slowly and took in his surroundings while Kye Bumzu disposed of the small glass shards and blood-soaked cotton. They were in a cave, literally. There were giant computer screens along the wall to rival any national security system. Off to the side, there was a small workout area with weights and a mat. Slightly below the main floor of the cave was a hangar space containing several different vehicles. There was the Batmobile, a small aircraft, and a boat. Jihoon looked around his immediate vicinity and noticed they were in what appeared to be a lab with various medical equipment. 

From everything in the cave, Jihoon could see that Kye Bumzu had been busy during his time as Batman. He recalled watching on the news the many lives that Batman had saved. It just was a shame that Batman couldn't help his own family.

He hung his head and chewed on his lip. "Why didn't you protect my family?"

Kye Bumzu sighed. Jihoon had heard that sigh from his father before. "There was a robbery that same day at a bank. The robbers had started opening fire on the hostages, so I had to intervene. It wasn't until the day after that I realized it was a distraction caused by the Joker so he could get to your family."

Jihoon nodded slowly. 

"What's going to happen to the Joker now?" Jihoon asked.

"We can find out." Kye Bumzu stepped toward his computers, and Jihoon watched him still perched on the medical table. 

He typed a few things, and on the screen, Jihoon could see a police report. "They're transferring him to Arkham Asylum."

"Is he going to be there for good?" 

"Yes, it seems like it," Kye Bumzu answered.

Jihoon thinned his lips and sniffed. He wiped messily at his eyes, pushing away the dried tears. "Then... I'll stay with you."

"What?"

"My father trusted you, and...you saved me today...and…" Jihoon trailed off awkwardly. He looked up at the computer screen and at the police report. Staring at the top corner of "Gotham Police" didn't sit right with Jihoon. The police could rot. It was the Joker and the police of why he was in this mess in the first place. His father had only wanted to speak the truth, and he hadn't been granted that.

"And I want you to help me," Jihoon finally said. 

"With what?"

"You said you'll keep me safe, right?"

"Yes, Jihoon."

"Then, I want you to help me drop the list of all the police officers who were working for the Joker." 

Kye Bumzu gave him a long stare, but he replied in a single nod.

**GOTHAM CITY** **  
** **2006 November 25, 8:54 p.m. EST**

It had been a few months of living with Kye Bumzu— sorry— Bumzu. Despite that Bumzu had saved him and offered him some comfort the first few days, he rarely saw the man around the manor. Usually, his days were reserved for company business and his nights patrolling Gotham's streets. The few times he did get to see him, the man was usually reserved and was too exhausted to talk. 

The only company that Jihoon had was Bumzu's butler, Doogi. He was a kind, older man who also knew of Bumzu's secret. 

Jihoon hadn't told anyone about Bumzu. There was no one to tell. He was alone in the manor and refused to go to school. Bumzu, at first, had tried to enroll him in Gotham Academy, the most prestigious prep school on the east coast. However, Jihoon didn't want to—it's not because he didn't want to learn—he loved learning. He just wasn't ready yet. Bumzu had seemed like he wanted to yell at him, but Doogi stepped in and told Bumzu to give Jihoon time. 

Often, Jihoon walked around the manor. He wasn't allowed in the Cave, though. Under any circumstances. Bumzu had been clear about that.

It was on the fourth day of his stay when Jihoon had discovered the piano room. Doogi encouraged him to find a distraction, and Jihoon took this one to heart. It reminded him of home and brought good memories of both his parents. 

He was currently sitting in the piano room playing "A Song of a Robin," when he heard the doorbell ring. At first, Jihoon didn't know what the sound was. Bumzu never had any visitors. Jihoon slowly stood up and headed out of the room into the foyer. 

He saw Bumzu grumbling under his breath and walking briskly down the stairs. Jihoon hadn't even known he was home. 

Bumzu opened the door, and Jihoon gaped as he saw a man he had only ever seen on TV. He was the CEO of SJ-M Enterprises, Zhou Mi.

"Hey Bumzu," Zhou Mi greeted casually, outstretching his arms into a hug.

"Why didn't you use the zeta tube?" Bumzu replied with a roll of his eyes, but he did hug the other man. 

"I was carrying a delicate package," Zhou Mi said. He turned around and then cursed loudly. "Where did he get off to? He was right here."

"Who?"

"He's around somewhere. He knows not to go too far out."

“Mi,” Bumzu said sternly.

Zhou Mi looked straight at Jihoon. Zhou Mi raised an eyebrow at his presence, "Can we talk somewhere private?" The CEO questioned.

Bumzu nodded. Jihoon watched them walk into the parlor room next door.

Jihoon huffed out a deep breath through his nose and returned to the piano room. He yelped as he saw another boy sitting on the bench and press a single note. 

"Ummm?" Jihoon looked back into the foyer.

The boy looked over his shoulder and smiled brightly, "Hi! I'm Jun."

"Ummm, hi?" 

"This place is huge!" The boy cried out, stretching his arms impossibly wide. "I wonder if it's bigger than Mi's manor. He has a pool in the backyard. Do you have a pool?"

Jihoon shook his head. "There's a garden."

"Ah, that's boring. What's your name?"

"Jihoon."

"Nice to meet you," The boy grinned and outstretched a hand for him to shake.

Jihoon eyed the hand warily. Who was this kid? Where had he come from? Jihoon spotted an open window on the far corner of the room. 

"Did you just climb through the window?" Jihoon asked instead. He walked closer to Jun. 

Jun nodded almost as if he was proud of it. What the hell? 

"Do you know how to play the piano?" Jun asked him. 

"Do you?" Jihoon answered.

Jun grinned brightly. He made a show of rolling up the sleeves of his jacket and cracking his knuckles. He straightened his back, outstretched his fingers, and proceeded to play chopsticks. 

Jihoon snorted. He nudged the other boy to the end of the bench and sat down next to him. He continued where he had left off in "A Song of a Robin." Jun was quiet next to him, watching his fingers move. 

When he finished, Jun clapped. "That's so cool! How old are you?" Jun questioned like a five-year-old kid obsessed with everyone's ages.

"I just turned ten three days ago."

"Oh, cool! Happy late birthday!" Jun began to dig around his jacket pockets and then his jean pockets. He grinned in triumph and proceeded to hand him a squashed snack-sized wrapped piece of chocolate. 

"Thanks?" Jihoon said, taking the chocolate. 

"I'm ten too. So...is Kye Bumzu, your dad?"

"Sort of. He adopted me a few months ago."

"Ah, you're like me then. Mi took me in too. Do you want to find out what they're saying?"

"Who?"

"Our dads, of course," Jun said, standing to his feet. "Mi has been teaching me all about stealth and sneaking around. He got upset when he found out I'm better than him."

"Why would he teach you that?"

Jun grinned and took hold of his wrist. "C'mon!" Jun dragged him toward the open window.

"You can't be serious."

"Yes, it will be fun."

Jihoon bit his lip and looked at the piano. He shrugged, shoving the chocolate piece into his hoodie and climbing out of the window with Jun. They walked around the perimeter of the manor. Jun told him to stay hunched over as they walked past the windows and into the foyer. 

The windows were closed, so Jun carefully picked the lock from outside and pushed open the window a fraction just to be able to hear their conversation.

"You're training him?!" Bumzu shouted.

Jihoon had never heard Bumzu sound that angry before.

"You aren't listening to me!" Zhou Mi yelled right back. "The League of Assassins is back."

"We destroyed them."

"Apparently, we didn't. The League is going by new names, but it's still the same organization that captured us when we were teens. They're calling themselves the Shadows. From the intel I've gathered, their new Ra's al Ghul is named Yán Mówáng. He has a base somewhere in China, but I haven't figured out where."

"So, how does this concern the kid?" Bumzu asked.

"A few Ghuls were after him trying to kill him in Sichuan Forest. We know what the League is capable of. That kid's parents are dead if the League was after a child."

"Why were they after him in the first place?"

"Jun doesn't know," Zhou Mi said. Jihoon stared straight at Jun as Zhou Mi continued speaking. He couldn't quite grasp what the adults were talking about, but from what he had gathered, Jun seemed to be in the same situation as him. "My guess is his parents did something to piss off the Yán Mówáng, and he's just determined to end the bloodline."

Jihoon heard Bumzu sigh, a noise he had become familiar with. "But why are you training him?"

"Because if the Shadows are after him, he needs to be able to protect himself when I can't be there for him."

"This is a new reckless. Even for you."

"Why? Because I'm giving the kid a fighting chance?"

"Because you didn't even bother to check for his family."

"I'm not stupid, Bumzu. Of course, I looked for them. I can't find anyone. The League made sure of that."

Bumzu sighed again, "Well, if you're going to train him. You need to teach him to sneak around better."

Jun flinched beside him and slapped his hands over his mouth.

"I can hear both of you breathing outside the window!" Bumzu exclaimed.

Jun shot up to his feet and waved awkwardly through the window. 

"Jun," Zhou Mi reprimanded. 

Jun giggled and then climbed through the window into the parlor.

"C'mon, Jihoon. You too," Bumzu said.

Jihoon begrudgingly stood up and climbed right after Jun. Both the adults had their arms crossed over their chests and were giving them disapproving looks. 

"Soooooo," Jun stated, "This is what Batman looks like."

Bumzu dropped his arms. "You told him." He glared at Zhou Mi.

"Well, I had to explain to him the reason for our visit," Zhou Mi countered. He turned to Jihoon. "Who's this?"

"Lee Jihoon," Bumzu answered. 

"The one whose parents were murdered by the Joker?" Zhou Mi blurted. He realized his mistake a second too late and made an apologetic face. 

Jun's head snapped toward him at this news. Jihoon bowed his head and lightly kicked at the ground. 

"So you're giving me lip for training Jun, but you're doing the same thing?" Zhou Mi questioned, voice rising angrily.

"I'm not training him," Bumzu responded.

Jihoon quickly glanced at Jun then at Bumzu. "Can you train me?" He asked tentatively. 

Bumzu and Zhou Mi's conversation abruptly stopped. Both of them looked down at him. 

"No," Bumzu said, short and straightforward, then returned to his conversation with Zhou Mi. 

Jihoon's brows furrowed, and he looked back at Jun, who was still staring at him. He walked up to him. "Who's he?" Jihoon asked, pointing to Zhou Mi.

Jun grinned, "He's the Green Arrow."

"The one from Star City?"

"The one and only."

Jihoon frowned and then turned back to Bumzu, "What if the Joker gets out? What if I need to protect myself?" He asked, interrupting the conversation again.

"He won't. I said I would protect you, and I will keep my word by not involving you in this. End of discussion."

Jihoon puffed out his cheeks and marched straight to his room. Bumzu was the absolute worst. He hated being here. He hated it! He slammed his door and sat on his bed, bending in two like he usually did to hide from the world. 

He stuffed his hands inside his hoodie and felt crinkly foil. Jihoon carefully removed the object and saw the chocolate Jun had given him.

Jihoon sighed, he unwrapped the candy and stuffed it into his mouth. 


	2. S1 Episode 2: Hitting Against water

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jihoon starts to advance in his training and gets to know Jun

**GOTHAM CITY** **  
** **2006 December 2, 10:15 p.m. EST**

It had been a week since Jihoon had walked away from Bumzu in the parlor room. He wanted to give him the silent treatment—something he had seen his mother do to his father when she was upset—but he couldn't even do that! Bumzu was never around! He was making it very difficult to be mad at him. 

When Jihoon was angry, his stomach tended to speak for itself. He recalled the few instances when he thought his parents were unreasonable. He would sneak into the kitchen late at night, scourge the pantry for some chips, and quietly open the fridge for a refreshing drink of Cola. It always made him feel better. Hence, Jihoon had tried creeping into the manor's kitchen, but Doogi always sensed his presence and beat him there. 

So, Jihoon sat at the six-seater family wooden table pushed against the wall by the windows. 

The size of the kitchen would rival any Michelin restaurant. However, by the rust collecting on the appliances and the faded cream-colored cabinets, the kitchen hadn't seen any renovations. 

"I'm old enough to pour myself a bowl of cereal," Jihoon muttered when Doogi set a sandwich in front of him with some pickles. 

"Cereal is not food, Master Jihoon," Doogi replied. He picked up the discarded newspaper on the table and worked on solving the crossword puzzle. It had taken a while for Jihoon to get used to being called Master, and initially, he had asked Doogi to stop and just call him Jihoon, but Doogi seemed to be more stubborn than Bumzu. 

Jihoon grabbed a pickle, and he crunched it between his teeth. He watched Doogi. The man was fifty-eight years old. He had jet black hair but started to develop a few white wisps from the crown of his head. He had adopted Bumzu at the same age Bumzu had taken him. Jihoon couldn't believe that Doogi had stayed with Bumzu all these years. Bumzu was utterly unreasonable.

"Don't you ever get mad at him?" Jihoon suddenly questioned.

"At Master Bumzu? Exasperation is the better word for it," Doogi answered.

Jihoon huffed and bit into his sandwich next. "It just isn't fair."

Doogi set his newspaper down and gave him a soft smile, "That he won't train you? Usually, I'm not partial to Master Bumzu's decisions, but I have to agree with this one."

"But the Green Arrow is training Jun."

Doogi leaned forward, "Master Jihoon, I can assure you that he is doing this to protect you."

Jihoon was about to complain, but suddenly a pounding alarm rang in the kitchen. Jihoon jumped out of his seat in shock, but Doogi merely stood up with a sigh.

"What is that?" Jihoon cried.

"Master Bumzu requires some assistance," he said. Doogi walked briskly out of the kitchen, and Jihoon followed him.

They ended up in a vast library and stopped in front of an old grandfather clock pushed against two bookshelves. Jihoon remembered that it was the entrance to the Cave. 

"Master Bumzu requested that you do not enter," Doogi informed him.

Jihoon puffed out his cheeks, "What if he's hurt?"

"All the more reason for you not to see something like that."

Jihoon stubbornly crossed his arms in front of his chest. Doogi snorted, "As you wish."

Doogi stood straight and moved the hands of the clock to 7:13. The grandfather clock chimed, and then the clock slid up the wall to reveal a small white lit hallway to an elevator. Both of them stepped inside. When the doors closed, it immediately dropped to the levels below the manor.

As soon as they opened, Jihoon could see Bumzu collapsed on the floor. Doogi rushed forward to help him up and guide him to the medical table. Bumzu crumpled onto his back and groaned loudly. Jihoon hovered from the side as Doogi removed Bumzu's mask and helped him out of his suit.

Jihoon could not see any life-threatening wounds other than a few cuts that were slightly bleeding.

"What's wrong with him?" Jihoon questioned, watching Bumzu shaking and pointing toward the medical station. 

Doogi frowned and then headed over to the lab. He opened a glass cabinet with different vials and chemicals. He reached for a line of test tubes and pulled out a purple liquid. With the same calmness, he walked back to Bumzu, shaking the test tube. He uncorked it and had Bumzu take a giant whiff of it. 

Bumzu coughed for several moments, and then he sucked in a breath. He groaned again and then sat up.

"Scarecrow is getting creative in where he hides his toxin," Bumzu stated, clutching his head.

"Whose Scarecrow?" Jihoon asked inquisitively.

Bumzu turned to him and rolled his eyes, "You brought the kid?" 

"I assure your Master Bumzu, I fought bravely against the child, but he beat me, and he held me hostage until I brought him here."

Jihoon couldn't help but snort. He approached closer to the adults and saw a laptop on the floor. He picked it up. The laptop was entirely destroyed by bullet holes. He held it out to Bumzu, "What's this?" He asked.

Bumzu tried to stand, but he groaned again.

Doogi pushed him back onto the table, "Scarecrow's toxin is still in your system Master Bumzu, please. Don't make me get the restraints."

Jihoon observed them, this seemed like a conversation the two had before. 

Bumzu glared at his butler and then looked at Jihoon. "I stole that from Scarecrow, hoping to get any information of where he's been shipping his toxin."

"Scarecrow is a bad guy? Like the Joker?"

"Yes. Since we put the Joker away, his competitors are starting to terrorize Gotham. The laptop is useless, though. I'm going to have to go back to the base."

"The only place you are going is straight to bed," Doogi stated. He helped Bumzu to his feet, and they walked toward the elevator. "Come Master Jihoon. It is late for you too. Please leave the laptop on the table, thank you."

Jihoon nodded. He joined them in the elevator. Doogi immediately helped Bumzu to his room, and Jihoon headed to his own. As he laid back in bed, Jihoon stared up at the ceiling. What Bumzu had said was still replaying in Jihoon's mind. There were other bad guys like the Joker? And now, they were out because the Joker was gone. Jihoon felt responsible. He wasn't sure if he had replaced evil with just another. If that were the case, then Jihoon definitely wanted to be out there helping. 

His parents would be. He was sure of it. 

However, Bumzu didn't want to train him. So how could he help? But then, he remembered the laptop. 

Jihoon sat up from the bed and did his best to sneak back into the library. 

Even though the laptop had suffered some damage, if he could pull anything from it, maybe Bumzu would train him. He approached the grandfather clock. Standing on the tips of his toes to reach the hands, he moved them to 7:13 like he had seen Doogi do, and he hoped it would work.

The clock slid upwards, and Jihoon smiled.

Without second-guessing, he entered the Cave. Walking into the threshold, the Cave's lights lit up. With everyone asleep, Jihoon took his time to look around the Cave. He noticed on the west side of the Cave a giant tunnel. At first, he had ignored it because it looked like it led to another series of caves, but as he walked past the medical lab, the computers, and training ground, he approached the tunnel more carefully. It wasn't endless like he had thought. It was a black funnel carved into the Cave's walls. Jihoon stuck his head inside and saw electrical wiring throughout the inside of the tube, hidden underneath carefully placed paneling. He didn't know what it was but thought best to leave it alone and move to something he was familiar with. 

He retrieved the laptop he had left on the table. 

Jihoon examined the laptop from all sides, holding it up close. Based on the placement of the bullets and the laptop's model, the RAM looked to be spared. Jihoon wandered over to the computer in the center of the Cave. There was a large glowing blue keyboard panel in the center that had a lot of mysterious buttons. Nine display screens were mounted to the wall, Jihoon looked through each one despite them being turned off. 

If Jihoon could connect the laptop to the Cave's computer, he could access some of the files Bumzu had been searching for.

Jihoon loitered around different cabinets until he found the necessary cables and power tools. Carefully, he took apart the laptop first to really make sure the RAM hadn't been damaged. He grinned in triumph. Luck was on Jihoon's side. He then proceeded to turn on the Cave's computer. The screen lit up and prompted him for a password.

Jihoon puffed out his cheeks. He had some experience hacking into his father's computer—purely out of boredom—but that was a personal computer. This was Batman's. He took a deep breath. What was the worst that could happen?

Jihoon bypassed the log-in and went straight for the computer's system functions. He typed in a few pieces of code and modified a few lines, and within ten minutes, Jihoon was in.

"Woah, I hacked Batman's computer," Jihoon gasped. Although Jihoon began to wonder if a ten-year-old like him could access it, he worried about the rest of Batman's security.

He was slightly tempted to nose through the different files, but he didn't need that. He just needed it to be on to access the laptop. He connected the two together and got to work.

Jihoon lost track of time as he brought the laptop back to life. 

It took him seven hours to recover everything. By the end, he was so exhausted he had fallen asleep on top of the large keyboard panel. 

A few hours later, someone was nudging his shoulder. Jihoon groaned, not liking to be disturbed, but the poking was very incessant. He sat up and sucked in a huge breath when he realized where he was.

He rolled back on the chair and snapped his head toward Bumzu, who was currently towering over him. 

"I—"

"What are you doing?" Bumzu questioned. His tone reminded Jihoon of his own father when he had been caught doing something he wasn't supposed to.

"Ummm.."

"Jihoon."

"I was getting the laptop files," Jihoon quickly caved. 

"I'm sorry?"

"The one with the bullet holes. Look, I was able to save some of it," Jihoon rolled back to the computer and moved the giant mousepad to awaken the screens.

"How did you get into my computer?"

"You need to work on your security system," Jihoon replied softly. "So um, I was able to find some blueprints and some files named as invoices. I don't know if this is any help."

Bumzu was silent as he looked at the display screen. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and said, "You know computers?" He asked him, raising an eyebrow.

"Yeah. I built my first computer at six years old. I wish I still had it, it got destroyed in the fire. But umm...my parents knew I liked this, so they signed me up for computer science classes at the community college."

"And they taught you how to hack?"

"No...uh...I figured that out on my own. Once you learn to code, it just becomes a puzzle, and you can manipulate it how you want." 

Bumzu snorted, "Well, you saved me a bunch of trouble."

"Does this mean I get to train with you?" Jihoon asked, hopefully. 

"Jihoon."

"I just helped you."

"It's more complicated than that."

"How? You helped me by dropping the officer lists to the courts."

"That's different, Jihoon. You are asking me to train you in what I do. I can't do that."

Jihoon was growing impatient, "Why not?"

Bumzu clenched his jaw, "Because I said so."

Jihoon stood from his chair. "What if I need to protect myself? What if the Joker escapes Arkham Asylum? I looked him up! The only reason he got moved there was that he kept escaping from Gotham's Penitentiary. Doesn't that mean he would escape Arkham?"

"He won't. I will keep you safe, Jihoon. That's why you're here."

Jihoon balled his hands into fists, "Like you kept my parents safe?" He snapped. 

A stretch of silence surrounded the Cave. Distantly, Jihoon could hear the echo of a bat inside the Cave, but he could not see them. 

Bumzu kneeled down, much like he had back in his office a few months back. His shoulder looked very heavy as he said, "I am trying to be pragmatic about this situation. However, it seems you might be correct."

Jihoon scrunched his face in confusion. He didn't know what pragmatic meant. "So you'll do what?"

"I will train you."

Before Jihoon could smile, Bumzu spoke again, "But we are going to have conditions."

Jihoon nodded eagerly.

They ended up in the library. Jihoon was sitting on the couch, nursing a cup of tea, while Doogi stood to the side, preparing Bumzu's cup.

Bumzu was standing above Jihoon with his shoulders straight and his hands behind his back. "If I train you, you need to agree to a few things."

"Which are?"

"You will be enrolled in Gotham Academy, and your studies will come first."

"School?" Jihoon whined. 

"School is critical," Doogi interrupted. "I always stressed that to Master Bumzu when he was younger, and he ended up graduating at sixteen."

Jihoon slumped his shoulders but agreed, "Okay, I'll attend the prep school. What else?"

"You will do weekly counseling sessions with Yoon Hyelim."

"Who?"

"She's a friend and a colleague."

"From Kye Tech?"

Bumzu paused and then said, "From the Justice League."

"You mean with Superman?" Jihoon asked with a surprised gasp. Jihoon would put up with anything if he got to meet with a Justice League member. He just hoped they weren't as broody and gloomy like Batman. 

"Yes, she works with us. So do you agree to—"

"—Yes! What else?"

Bumzu stared right at him. "I control the pace of your training. You do not complain. You follow exactly as I say, and you only advance when I say so."

There was something dark and heavy in Bumzu's tone. Something that made Jihoon hesitate for just a second. 

Batman was offering not only training but also a permanent way of life—something that Jihoon would not discover until years later. So Jihoon, just a naive ten-year-old with the weight of his parent's death and the illogical desire to help Gotham like his parents had, made Jihoon agree to all of Bumzu's terms. 

**GOTHAM CITY** **  
** **2006 December 09, 5:53 p.m. EST**

Bumzu couldn't enroll Jihoon in Gotham Academy when the semester was about to finish, so instead, he enrolled him in Gotham University online for a few winter classes. Jihoon didn't consider himself a genius. He could barely write a paragraph, and he never remembered all the dumb components of photosynthesis, but Jihoon knew he was good at computers. He had explained to Bumzu that his parents had just enrolled him in a few basic classes, so Bumzu had pulled some strings, and Jihoon had been placed in graduate-level courses.

Jihoon sat every morning in front of a laptop Bumzu had bought for him. He stuck to his studies and paid keen attention to every single detail. 

He took everything he learned back to the Cave and used it to improve the security system. He also helped develop software to hack into police, lab, psych, and any business companies without stupidly leaving traces of his IP address.

When Jihoon would finish his classes in the morning, Bumzu would be waiting for him.

For the past seven days, Jihoon had been doing the exact same training. If it could even be called that. They were in the Cave, and Bumzu had set a large bowl of water in front of him. Jihoon felt stupid as he repeatedly slapped the water with the palm of his hand. He wanted to protest, but that would go against Bumzu's terms.

So as he slapped the bowl of water, he watched Bumzu tinker with the Batmobile. He had learned that Bumzu's talents were focused more on detective work, numbers, and engineering. Bumzu had built the Batmobile himself, but the computer specs were created by foolish Kye Tech employees who thought they were just playing with new programs. 

Jihoon looked down at his bowl. It was almost out of water. He sighed and bent down to pick up the 5-gallon jug at his feet. Jihoon's muscles strained as he picked up the water and refilled the bowl. 

"Not that I'm complaining," Jihoon decided to speak up. "But what exactly am I doing?"

Bumzu slid out from beneath the Batmobile and wiped his hands on a nearby rag. He replied, "The journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step."

Jihoon raised an eyebrow and continued slapping the water, "What is that? Buddha?" 

Bumzu actually smiled and walked up the steps to meet him in the training area. "Lao Tzu, actually, hit harder."

Jihoon nodded. He hit the water again, and then Bumzu had him switch hands. "That doesn't answer my question." 

Bumzu snorted, but said, "There once was a young boy whose father dropped him off at a Shaolin monastery to study Kung Fu. After a year, the boy came to visit his family. When asked what he'd learned, the boy hung his head in shame. All the monks had him do was slap water in a barrel. The family didn't believe him, so he showed them. He raised his hand and hit the table they were eating on. It broke in half.

"So...what is this teaching me?"

"Strength and patience."

"So, I'm going to be doing this for a year?!" Jihoon didn't know if he could put up with that.

"We will see. Again!"

**GOTHAM CITY** **  
** **2006 December 15, 1:30 p.m. EST**

Jihoon sat at the kitchen, drumming his hands on the table as he watched Doogi prepare him lunch. Jihoon grinned as Doogi gave him a steaming bowl of miso soup. It was precisely what he needed to battle the snow outside. Doogi had lit nearly every fireplace in the manor, but it still felt cold inside the empty place. 

Jihoon was about to ask for a drink, but then he frowned as Doogi handed him a steaming cup of tea. It was always tea.

"Hey, do you guys have any Cola?"

Doogi tilted his head. "Cola, Master Jihoon?"

"Coca-Cola?"

Doogi honestly looked offended. "I don't stock the pantry with such high sugary drinks."

"But it's so good! What if I had just had some once in a while?"

"I'm sorry, Jihoon, but I have you on a strict training diet regimen."

"You do?"

"Yes. I can't give you any of those drinks."

Jihoon humphed, and Bumzu actually laughed. For once, the Bat was home. The man hadn't gone into work because of the snowstorm outside. Nearly all of Gotham was shut down, which also meant that Batman was taking some time off. Even criminals had their limits. 

"Don't even try Jihoon, the man has been hiding my favorite chips for years."

"Not fair," Jihoon muttered, drinking his tea and finishing his lunch with a frown.

"Knock knock."

The three in the kitchen turned to the doorway. A woman with short brown hair and bangs stood there, leaning against the frame.

"Hyelim," Bumzu greeted.

"Hey, Bumzu." She stepped into the kitchen and greeted Doogi as well. She then met eyes with him and smiled. "Hi, I'm Hyelim. Zhou Mi told me that Bumzu had adopted you. He absolutely loves children, so I'm not surprised," she said sarcastically. 

Jihoon snorted. 

"Bumzu also said that you're going to be my patient. I would like consent from you, though."

Jihoon looked to Bumzu, and the man explained, "Hyelim is a licensed therapist in Star City. She also works with Zhou Mi sometimes as the Black Canary."

Jihoon turned back to the young twenty-year-old woman. "You're the Black Canary?" After Jihoon had begun his training, he had started researching all the different Justice League members. He had seen all the footage of her online. She was an incredible fighter, and Jihoon would even dare say she was better at hand-to-hand combat than Batman. 

"Yup, although, I'm surprised Bumzu actually invited me here."

"Why?" Jihoon asked.

Hyelim spoke for Batman, "Bumzu has a rule that he doesn't like metahumans in Gotham, bad or good. He says he has enough on his plate to worry about the likes of us."

"Metahumans are people with powers, right?"

She nodded and held a finger to her throat, "I have a sonic cry."

"I thought it would make Jihoon more comfortable if you met him here," Bumzu said.

She snorted and rolled her eyes, "Well, would you like to begin?"

"Ummm, okay," Jihoon said. It had been part of Bumzu's terms.

He followed her out of the kitchen, and she stopped in the middle of the hallway. "Is there a room you would like to have our counseling session?"

Jihoon thought it over for a moment. He didn't know what a counseling session was like. He remembered visiting the counselor's office in school, but the room was always so cramped and stuffy. 

"I don't know what kind of room we would need," he said.

"Anywhere you feel most comfortable."

Jihoon nodded, and they walked to the piano room. Jihoon sat on the piano stool, faced toward the three couches in the center of the room. 

He awkwardly placed his hands on either side of his legs and watched the woman. She was comfortably seated on the couch with a soft smile.

"So, why did you need counseling?" She asked.

"I thought Bumzu would have told you."

"I want to hear it from you."

"Bumzu said if I want to train with him, I need to have weekly counseling sessions with you."

"Do you know what that means?"

Jihoon shook his head, so she answered, "Counseling is therapy. It's a place where you talk about any problems you might be having and get to let out your emotions safely. I help by giving you advice and help you work through the more complicated emotions and thoughts."

Jihoon nodded, not knowing what to say. 

She sensed this, "Let's start with how you are feeling right now."

"Okay, I guess."

"How have you felt since Bumzu adopted you?"

"I don't know."

"What about your parents?"

Jihoon thinned his lips, "I miss them."

"Tell me about them."

Jihoon nodded and recounted about his family. She listened attentively and didn't interrupt, even when Jihoon came to pauses trying to figure out how to put things into words. 

"Do you have nightmares?" She asked next. 

"Sometimes, yes."

"What do you do when you have nightmares?"

"I usually wake up and call for my mom and dad, and then I remember they aren't there, so I just stay up until I fall asleep."

"Do Bumzu or Doogi ever help you with your nightmares?"

"I can hear Bumzu outside my door, but he never comes in."

She thinned her lips. "Do you want him to?"

Jihoon placed his hands in between his legs and hung his head. After a moment, he nodded.

"Bumzu has never been good with affection, Jihoon."

"Oh, I know that."

"How's training with him?"

"He just has me slapping water like an idiot. I'm not allowed to complain about it, though."

"He's starting you with the basics."

"Is that how you were trained?"

She shook her head, "I was trained by my own mother. She started me off by pouring hot water on my hand and told me to learn how to deal with the pain. Why did you want to train with him?"

"I want to help Gotham. Like my parents."

"But they weren't out in the streets of Gotham fighting crime."

"Not like Batman. But they were fighting it in their own way."

"Then why not do what they did. Why not study to become a journalist or work in the medical field?"

"I'm not good with stuff like that," Jihoon admitted. "And I don't want to be left defenseless. My father couldn't protect my mom because he didn't know how to fight. I don't want that happening to anyone I care about or any person. If I can learn how to fight, why not use it to help?"

"Like Batman?" 

"Like Batman. He's like me. Bad people killed his family in front of him, and Bumzu decided that he couldn't let that happen to anyone else, so he started helping."

She paused, and then she asked, "Do you want to be Batman?"

"Yeah, more than anything."

**GOTHAM CITY** **  
** **2006 December 24, 3:53 p.m. EST**

Jihoon waited for the entire month to see a sprinkle of Christmas around the manor. Maybe a tree or a wreath, but the estate was precisely the same as when Jihoon had arrived. When Jihoon had brought it up to Doogi, the butler had said that Bumzu didn't celebrate Christmas--that it reminded him too much of his parents. 

Jihoon was sad upon hearing this. He loved Christmas; he was hoping to at least have a Christmas tree. 

When Doogi saw his sad expression, the butler asked him to go with him to the Cave. The Batmobile was gone, so Bumzu definitely wasn't either. 

Jihoon watched Doogi turn on the computer and plug in unfamiliar code.

The black funnel-like cave that Jihoon still had no idea what it was for, suddenly lit up.

"What is that?" Jihoon asked.

"It's a zeta tube. It can transport you from one zeta tube to another. I just inputted you into the system for guest access."

"Where are we going?"

"To Zhou Mi's Estate. I know he always celebrates this holiday. Come."

Doogi stepped through the zeta tube, and Jihoon hesitantly followed.

There was a flash of white light, and within a second, they were exiting out of the tunnel. 

_ "Recognized Doogi A01, Lee Jihoon A08,"  _ The computerized woman's voice spoke as they exited.

Jihoon was shocked as he immediately came to the sight of Jun, shooting arrows into a target. Each arrow hit the center of the outer yellow circle.

"Great job at not getting distracted by the zeta tube," someone spoke. Jihoon turned to Zhou Mi, who was standing off to the side. "Still missed, though. I expect exact precision."

Jun dropped his shoulders frowning. It quickly turned into a broad smile as he spotted Jihoon. "Break time?" Jun questioned Zhou Mi.

"Yeah, I need to check on Taemin anyway to make sure he hasn't burned my kitchen."

Jun cheered and rushed to put his bow and arrows away. Jihoon took a quick glance around the area. It looked like a giant underground bunker. The size of it probably ran along with the entire manor. The zeta tube was on the far south wall while the rest of it was taken over by a large green mat. Several targets were spread across the west side of the bunker, and on the east side, there were three dividers for a gun shooting range. 

It looked completely different from the Cave, especially by the bright lights hanging overhead. 

"Is Taemin cooking this year?" Doogi asked.

"Unfortunately," Zhou Mi answered. 

"God bless your stomachs."

Zhou Mi laughed and patted his tummy, "I've already prepped with antacids. Although, if you are offering to stay and cook Christmas Eve dinner…"

"I'm just here dropping off young Master Jihoon."

"Dropping off?" Jihoon asked, turning back Doogi with fright.

"As you know, Master Bumzu does not celebrate this holiday."

"Oh, I'm painfully aware," Zhou Mi chuckled. "You staying the night, kid?"

"Yes, he is," Doogi answered.

"Great! I guess I'll let Taemin know to cook for one more." Zhoumi turned to walk to the stairs on the northwest side.

"Please don't leave me alone," Jihoon said, tugging on Doogi's arm as the butler turned back to the zeta tube.

"You will be fine, Master Jihoon. Zhou Mi will take excellent care of you."

"But!"

"I will pick you up tomorrow evening."

Jihoon watched the butler leave in a short flash of white light. Awkwardly, he turned back to the other boy in the room. Jun was watching him with a weird-half smile.

He didn't know anything about Jun. This was only his second time meeting the other kid. Jihoon deeply regretted complaining about Christmas in the first place. He should have just kept his mouth shut. He would rather be splashing a bowl of water than having to interact with people he didn't know.

Jihoon never did well with prolonged social interactions. Even before his life was turned upside-down, he didn't have many friends. 

"Hi!" Jun greeted brightly.

"Hi..."

"It's Jihoon, right?"

"Yeah."

Jun ventured over to him. "So, is that guy your butler?"

"No, he's uh more of Bumzu's," Jihoon muttered, feeling nervous. When he had first met Jun, he was still processing the initial shock that he had climbed through his window and learned that Jun was like him. Without Jun's weird antics to focus on, Jihoon didn't know how to carry on a conversation. 

Luckily for him, Jun seemed to be a huge talker. "It would be cool to have a butler! We don't have one because Zhou Mi is worried they will find this place. C'mon! I'll give you a tour."

Jun tugged him by the wrist to the stairs that Zhou Mi had left on. Once they made it to the top, Jun let go of his hand. Immediately, Jihoon noticed the differences between the two manors. While Bumzu's estate seemed to have a minimalist design, Zhou Mi's was all ostentatious golds and bronzes.

Jun began walking down a hallway, so Jihoon followed. "So, when did you start training?" Jun asked him.

"How did you know I started training?"

"You got a zeta tube number. I got mine when I first started."

"I just got mine today," Jihoon muttered in embarrassment.

"Oh, well, that's okay! How's training with the Bats?"

"The Bats? I think he would kill you if he heard you say that."

"I've called him the Bats to his face, and he didn't say anything."

"When?"

"He comes over to check on me sometimes. That's actually really scary. I keep expecting him to spread his cape wide and screech in my face that I'm doing something wrong."

"So Bumzu's training you?"

"Oh no, that's been Zhou Mi's job. Bats just watches. It's creepy."

"Hmmm."

"Jealous that I'm getting attention," Jun teased.

"No."

"It's okay if you are. I would be jealous of all of this amazing raw talent," Jun curled his arm to show off his muscles. It would have been more impressive if he wasn't wearing a reindeer hoodie. And if he wasn't, you know, ten. But the truth was, Jihoon was jealous because Jun was already working on Green Arrow's specialty while Jihoon was still hitting water in a bowl. 

Jihoon didn't want to admit this, so he ignored his comment, "How long have you been training?"

"Uhhh, about four months now? You?"

"A few weeks."

"It gets fun later, I promise," Jun said. 

"Really? Bumzu has all of the rules that I have to follow, and he got Doogi into it. I'm not allowed to drink Cola!"

Jun gasped animatedly. "That's so unfair!"

"That's what I said!" 

"You should come over more. I'll let you have all the Cola you want." 

Jun led him into the drawing-room, and Jihoon stopped. An entire real pine tree stretched to the ceiling completely decorated from head to toe in reds and yellows. It reminded him of Christmas with his own family. 

"Cool, huh?" Jun asked, watching Jihoon closely.

Jihoon nodded and gasped a red streak whizzed past them. Suddenly, a bunch of Christmas gifts appeared by the tree. Jihoon was confused, but then he saw the red stripe by him again, and then there was a twenty-something-year-old man screaming.

"Ah, they're multiplying!" The man yelled.

Zhou Mi came into the room with a loud laugh, "Shut up, Taemin. He's Bumzu's."

"Oh! You've got to be kidding me! I thought you were joking about that."

Zhou Mi rolled his eyes, "Jihoon, that's Taemin. Otherwise known as—"

"The Flash," Jihoon gaped. 

"Yup, and that's—"

Two other people walked into the room. Jihoon already recognized Hyelim, but the other was a tall, muscular man, "Aquaman," Jihoon said. 

"Please call me Yunho."

Jihoon turned to Jun to see how the other kid was reacting, but Jun just shrugged, "I've already met most of the Justice League already," Jun answered. 

"Bumzu hasn't introduced you to anyone?" Zhou Mi asked.

Jihoon shook his head.

"That's okay, you'll get to meet everyone soon," Zhou Mi assured him. "C'mon dinner is ready."

Jihoon followed the group to a large dining room. The entire table was empty, but Taemin's quick dash into the kitchen had the table filling with every Christmas dish imaginable. It all looked so delicious, so Jihoon didn't understand Zhou Mi's comment until he took the first bite.

It wasn't horrible per se, but he was confused about why his mashed potatoes tasted sweet. No one was saying anything to the man, so Jihoon forced himself to eat it. Jihoon hated to admit that since his stay at the Kye Manor, he had become spoiled by Doogi's delicious home-cooked meals. 

So Jihoon ate the food politely and listened with wide eyes and ears over the stories that the other superheroes were telling him. He couldn't believe he was sitting at a table with these people. All three of them were legendary. 

When dessert came around, the food was actually spectacular, but that had to do with the fact that Yunho had made them. 

They had moved to the drawing-room later in the night. Taemin was recounting the time he had to moonwalk at super speed to get away from a man who called himself Tar Pit. Jihoon was utterly amazed that he hadn't noticed that Jun had left the room and reemerged minutes later to place a present by the tree.

"Okay! Everyone gets to open one present," Zhou Mi said, but then, an alarm was ringing on the adults' watches. 

"Gotta flash!" Taemin shouted before zooming out of the room. The others rolled their eyes but were soon leaving the room as well.

"Sorry, kids, but duty calls," Zhou Mi told them.

When they left, Jun reached out for a Christmas present and handed it to Jihoon.

"But the others—"

"Aren't going to come back until probably tomorrow. That was a Justice League call if all of them got it."

"Oh."

"Here, I got this for you." Jun reached for a Christmas present from underneath the tree and handed it to him. 

Jihoon fumbled with the small, awkwardly shaped present. Heat collected around his ears, and he found himself unable to look Jun in the eye for long periods. "What? But I didn't get anything for you—"

Jun giggled, "It's okay. I didn't really celebrate Christmas back in China."

"Oh." 

"Open it!"

Jihoon tore open the paper and chuckled as he saw it was Cola in a glass bottle.

Jun smirked, "Since you complained about not having it earlier today."

"Thank you," Jihoon said sincerely. 

Jihoon uncapped the drink and stuffed the bottle cap into his jean pocket. As he drank the soda, Jun couldn't stop smiling. 

The next day, Jihoon returned to the Kye Manor and ran straight into Bumzu. Bumzu was standing awkwardly by the zeta tube, waiting for him. When they made eye contact, Bumzu reached out and handed him a present. Before Jihoon could say thank you, Bumzu was already walking away toward the elevator.

Jihoon was confused. He looked down at the gift and saw a note attached.

I will try to be a better mentor. I'm sorry. Merry Christmas.

Jihoon opened the gift and grinned as he saw it was one of the gaming consoles from Kye Tech. Maybe living with the Batman wasn't so bad.

**GOTHAM CITY** **  
** **2007 January 31, 7:52 p.m. EST**

Jihoon had started Gotham Academy but didn't talk much to the other children. He kept to himself. Jihoon had perfected his routine: wake-up, breakfast, school, homework, training, dinner, and more training, then repeat. 

He was still slapping water inside a bowl, but he wasn't complaining. Jihoon had begun to notice subtle changes in his body. Things that used to be a lot heavier to lift now seemed a lot lighter. Jihoon focused all his attention on the water, making sure not to spread his fingers too wide, and using the same force for each slap. Details: Bumzu had called it.

Jihoon was starting to understand. Coding and computers were all about details too. One wrong letter or number inside a code could fail the whole function. 

After an hour of slapping the water, Bumzu had asked him to stop. Bumzu walked up to him, carrying two blocks of thick wood.

"Hit it," Bumzu ordered.

Jihoon's eyes opened wide, but he was determined to prove himself. He squared his shoulders, pulled his arm back, and hit the board with the palm of his hand.

Both pieces of wood broke in half.

"Great job."

Jihoon smiled at the praise. 

**GOTHAM CITY** **  
** **2007 February 10, 10:00 a.m. EST**

"I know Bumzu is starting to teach me about stealth and how to look at everything in a room, but I still feel like I'm months behind," Jihoon told Hyelim. They were inside the piano room, engaging in their weekly counseling sessions. 

Hyelim was in her usual place on the couch listening attentively. "You do realize that this isn't a race. Training is continuous. I still keep up with my training."

"I know, but when I saw Jun during Christmas, he was already shooting arrows."

"He has a different mentor than you. Of course, he would be at a different place than you."

"It still feels unfair."

"How about I offer you some training? A few defensive techniques," She said.

While Jihoon wanted to take her up on her offer, he couldn't. Jihoon shook his head. "Bumzu wouldn't like that."

Hyelim leaned forward, "Why's that?"

"He was clear that I follow what he says," Jihoon wrung his fingers together. "If he didn't give me permission to train with you, I can't."

"And what would Bumzu do if you go against him."

"He wouldn't train me, and then I won't be able to help."

Hyelim smiled. "You are a good kid, Jihoon. Is there anything else you wanted to talk about today?"

It was getting more comfortable to have these sessions with her. So when she posed the routine question, Jihoon thought it over. He shook his head.

"Okay, same time next week?"

Jihoon nodded and watched her leave the room. He stayed inside for a little while longer. He spun on the stool and traced his fingers over the piano keys. Tentatively, he pressed a note. 

It hummed.

He pressed another and another until a soft tune was playing. He hadn't noticed how long he had been sitting there until Bumzu knocked against the door frame. Jihoon immediately stopped playing.

"I'm sorry! I lost track of time!" Jihoon shouted, rising to his feet.

Bumzu shook his head and raised a hand to signal him to stop. "It's fine, don't worry. What were you playing?"

"'A Song of a Robin'."

"It sounds very sad."

"The first part is, but then it picks up more as the robin learns to fly."

Bumzu smiled, "I was thinking of progressing your training."

Jihoon stood straighter. "Yeah?"

"Yes. Except, I won't be training you in this. Doogi will."

"What do you mean?"

Bumzu motioned for Jihoon to follow him. They walked past the foyer and down the hallway behind the main staircase. They came to a room that Jihoon had never seen before. When the door opened, Jihoon was greeted to the sight of an enormous gymnastics room. The entire floor was covered by a blue mat. Every piece of gymnastics equipment could be seen: a vault, uneven bars, a balance beam, spring floor, rings, you name it. 

Bumzu ushered him inside and said, "You've shown to have more patience and attention to detail than I ever did at your age. I thought this would be a good addition to your training."

Jihoon gasped and looked up at him, "So you've never done this before?"

Bumzu shook his head, "I tried when I was younger. I wasn't very good at it. I have faith that you will do much better than I."

Better than Batman? That just wasn't possible. 

**GOTHAM CITY** **  
** **2007 March 10, 12:00 p.m. EST**

It was Jihoon's third time meeting Jun. Jihoon was stretching on the mat inside the Cave when Jun had appeared through the zeta tube with Zhou Mi. He had a backpack hanging from his left shoulder and a quiver on his right. Jihoon watched the conversation between Zhou Mi and Bumzu. Zhou Mi had picked up a lead on the Shadows in Bialya. He wanted to go on an undercover mission for a week to the country alone, but Bumzu would not allow it.

After a few minutes, Zhou Mi had agreed to let Bumzu join him. Bumzu had hesitated for a moment as he looked at Jihoon, but Jihoon gave him a thumbs-up, "I know my training schedule."

Bumzu nodded, and Jihoon watched their mentors leave via the zeta tube. 

Having Jun in the manor felt a little less awkward than their second encounter. Jun was a little quieter than usual, and Jihoon was finding it strange.

They were in the library, papers and books spread around them on a coffee table as they worked on their spring break homework. Jihoon frowned as he came to a difficult math word problem. He pressed his pencil to his temple and looked over at Jun, scribbling away on his own homework.

"Hey," Jihoon asked softly. "Do you get this?"

Jun peeked over at his book and shook his head, "Sorry. I'm not good at math. Try two? That's usually what I put when I don't get it."

Jihoon had been stuck on the problem for ten minutes now, so he shrugged and wrote two in the space provided. "Gotham Academy is hard. Did Zhou Mi enroll you in a prep school too."

Jun nodded, "Yeah, but I'm really struggling in all of my classes."

"Oh?"

Jun glanced at him and then looked back at his paper. "English isn't my first language," He muttered. Jihoon watched Jun's cheeks flush. 

"Oh, you're from China, right?"

Jun nodded. "Yeah, so English isn't my first language. I mean, I learned English back in China, but it wasn't this school-type stuff."

"Well I don't know how much use I'll be, but I can help you with whatever you don't--"

Jun immediately shoved his book at him. "Can you help me with this paragraph? We have to read this book for literature, and I don't get it."

Jihoon smiled, "Yeah." He read through the book and then realized there were a lot of advanced words. His language arts teacher had told him to look for context clues, so Jihoon did and reread the passage. When he understood it, he tried to explain it back to Jun in simpler terms.

Jun took notes and kept thanking him and telling him how great he was.

Jihoon blushed a bit under the unnecessary praise. He was thankful that Doogi appeared at that moment with their lunch on a tray.

Jihoon helped clear the coffee table for Doogi.

"Don't forget you have your session with Miss Hyelim right after lunch, Master Jihoon."

Jihoon nodded, already reaching for the white rice.

Doogi left the boys in the room alone. 

"Black Canary is giving you training?" Jun asked, raising a brow. 

"Oh. I have counseling with her. You don't?"

Jun shook his head. He looked at the food Doogi had left him and reached for the pickled veggies. 

"Here," Jun said, with a mouth full of food. He handed him his bowl of rice. "You can have it. I don't like plain white rice."

Jihoon beamed. "Thanks!" He poured the rice into his own bowl, watching with glee as it became a lumpy rice mountain. He stuffed a bunch into his mouth until his cheeks puffed out.

"Ah!" Jun cheered after swallowing. "You look so cute!"

Jihoon nearly choked on his rice. Jun reached for the napkin on the tray and held it out for him.

"Sorry I couldn't help myself," Jun said smugly.

Jihoon got his bearings back together enough to say, "Yeah, whatever." He pushed Jun lightly on the shoulder. The kid bounced back and laughed even louder.

Jihoon had to admit, it had been a long time since he had heard anyone laugh like this in a long time. 

**GOTHAM CITY** **  
** **2007 March 13, 3:30 p.m. EST**

Jihoon was watching Jun while he did his best to maintain his handstand. Jun had set up a small area in the Cave for target practice, and Jihoon watched in amazement as Jun hit each arrow dead-center. 

The last arrow pierced through another one clean through, and Jihoon lost his balance. He fell onto his back and sat up to watch Jun walk toward the target and pull his arrows out to try again. 

Jihoon was beyond impressed. 

"Master Jihoon," Doogi said beside him.

Jihoon sighed but resumed his position to return to his handstand.

"Engage your core," The butler said.

Jihoon felt sweat bead against his forehead and drip into his hair. 

"Ten more seconds."

Jihoon felt his arms quaking, but counted down the number in his head.

"Good, and break time."

Jihoon bent his legs and came back onto his feet. He thanked Doogi as he handed him a glass of water. 

"Come, Mr. Moon, you need a break, too," Doogi said.

Jun nodded and set his bow and quiver on the ground. He climbed up the stairs to join them on the second level. Doogi handed him a glass as well.

"Twenty-minute break, and then I want you working on that handstand again, Master Jihoon."

Jihoon gave him a thumbs-up, and Doogi left to return to the manor. Jihoon waited for him to go and then went to retrieve his gaming console. Jun raised an eyebrow at it.

"Do you want to play?" Jihoon asked.

"What games do you have?" Jun asked.

The two of them sat shoulder to shoulder against the railing. 

"It's just a soccer game. We can take turns."

Jun agreed, and Jihoon let him go first. Jun's fingers tapped rapidly against the buttons, and he made these grunts and cheers while he played. When Jun had finished his match, Jihoon let Jun go again. 

**GOTHAM CITY** **  
** **2007 March 16, 3:30 p.m. EST**

"So, do you always carry candy inside your pockets?" Jihoon asked Jun as he handed him a second jelly.

"Pretty much," Jun answered. "I'm not allowed to have them with Zhou Mi, so I always try to sneak them whenever I can."

"You need to teach me how to hide snacks."

"You just gotta be fast. That's the trick."

The two of them were sitting outside Kye Manor underneath a tree. The spring sun was shining entirely overhead, and Jun had convinced Doogi to let them have their break time outside. 

They were enjoying quiet time and munching on snacks. Jihoon had learned in this entire week with Jun that when the other boy had officially talked himself out, he got quiet. It wasn't awkward anymore, and Jihoon was coming to appreciate both Jun's hyper and calmer sides. 

However, Jihoon still didn't know much about Jun. Yeah, Jun talked about his training, but he never spoke about his life before joining Zhou Mi. Jihoon had told Jun about his parents two days ago after dinner. They had headed to the second floor, and while Jun had been set up with his own private room, he had ended up in Jihoon's, and the two had spent the night talking about everything and nothing at once. Jihoon had somehow started talking about his parents, even the Joker, and Jun had listened to every word. 

"Do you miss your parents?" Jihoon found himself suddenly asking.

Jun turned to him and then back to the candy in his hand.

"I uh," Jun stuttered for a moment. He smiled awkwardly, and Jihoon could see he was trying to play it off. It made Jihoon sad. 

Jun thinned his lips, but after a moment said. "I never met my mom. She died giving birth to me, so I was raised by my dad and uncle."

Jihoon nodded, absorbing this piece of information. 

Jun was silent for a long time, and Jihoon feared he had asked the wrong question. This is why he didn't have friends. He wasn't good at this. It was obvious that Jun didn't want to talk about this. 

"痛楚难以避免，而磨难可以选择," Jun finally replied in Mandarin. 

"What does that mean?"

"It's something my dad used to say to me. That you are in control of how you react to something. So...if I...my dad...then..." Jun's voice grew in pitch and broke off into a sob. Jun rubbed harshly at his eyes with his left-hand sleeve. 

Jihoon felt guilty for pushing him too far. He wasn't very good at comforting others, so he patted Jun's right hand three times. 

"I miss them," Jun said after another moment. He sniffled loudly. 

Jihoon understood that ache and pain, "Me too." 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Jihoon accidentally made the kitty cry 😢 
> 
> In case you haven't noticed this story will be very plot-heavy. Please leave me a comment on what you thought of this chapter. Reviews really help fuel my motivation to keep going. 
> 
> I also forgot to mention the last chapter some notable mentions. A few idols who are cast in my story.  
> E' Dawn->Joker....you can guess who will be Harley then....  
> Doogi (svt's old vocal trainer)->Butler  
> Hyelim (svt's choreographer)-> Black Canary  
> Zhoumi (Super Junior-M)->Green Arrow  
> Taemin (SHINEE)->Flash  
> Yunho (TVXQ)->Aquaman


	3. S1 Episode 3: Song of a Robin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jihoon finally becomes the Robin, but realizes being Batman's mentor isn't all it's cracked up to be.

**GOTHAM** **  
****2009 July 30, 1:03 a.m. EST**

Silently, like a thief in the night, Jihoon crept down the alley, hugging the wall. He had begun to know Gotham by heart and easily avoided the broken bottles by the recycling dumpster. Stretching his body, he clung to the bricks and peered around the corner of the building. He saw a shadow of a cape, his pulse rising along with it. He held his breath and tracked the movement carefully. He knew it took about fifteen seconds to finish crossing the building, so he counted that in his head.

When he could no longer hear or see anything, Jihoon made his escape. He ran out of the alley and in the opposite direction. The subway station's soft buzzing light came up ahead, and Jihoon descended the stairs into the station. 

A security guard struggled to stand upright in the far corner, so Jihoon made sure his black hoodie was properly secured over his head before jumping over the turnstile and hopping into the first train car. 

He took a seat, allowing himself a moment to breathe. Jihoon glanced at his wristwatch. He still had about five hours of this game. Batman had given him a new training exercise: avoid getting caught. If Batman found him before six o'clock, he would fail the assignment. Jihoon had been avoiding him since 8 o'clock last night. He was exhausted. Jihoon wanted nothing more than to fall asleep with the rowdy lull of the subway moving beneath the city, but Jihoon wanted to successfully complete his training even more. 

The subway stopped at a new station, and Jihoon spotted a figure in all black entering the same train car. That was his cue. Jihoon calmly stood to his feet and exited the train. 

Without looking back, he could hear a few footsteps behind him. Jihoon slightly increased his pace as he headed up the stairs. He saw a Freightliner truck stopped at a red light. He approached it, deftly placed his foot on the truck's chassis, and gripped the belt that was tied around the trailer's opening lock. He tied it around his waist and kicked around until he was hanging off the side of the truck.

The Freightliner moved as the light turned green, and Jihoon snuck a glance and saw Batman standing above the steps to the subway station, looking around for him.

Jihoon smiled. He rode the truck for about a mile, then hopped off as he saw Gotham City Park. He walked aimlessly for an hour, keeping his senses sharp.

It was one of Batman's many repeated phrases to him. 

He understood that.

Batman would never take him on missions if he wasn't aware of his surroundings.

He heard steps. They were muted, still far off. It could have been a transient or any other random person, but Jihoon knew he needed to be careful regardless. He walked down a path and spotted the small amphitheater in the park. He flipped over the fence with ease and walked to the backstage area. 

He was thinking of hiding in there for a few hours, but he stopped as he approached the doors. There were two heavy metal doors locked together by a chain. Beside the door was a bin filled with gardening supplies, and there he spotted a large gardening cutter. Jihoon smiled. He grabbed the gardening cutter, and with all his strength, snapped the bolt and chain. He made sure to make lots of noise.

He dropped the cutters carelessly onto the floor and ran to the steps of the amphitheater. Quickly, he rolled underneath the cement steps and waited. 

Jihoon heard a thump of someone jumping over the fence and then steps. He held his breath again and listened. The clinking of the chains being pushed aside by a metal door alerted him to the fact that Batman had entered the backstage area.

Jihoon grinned.

Without making any noise, Jihoon stalked his way back to the door, slowly pushed the two doors closed, and grabbed the cutters again. He moved fast, now that he heard rapid footsteps approaching again. Jihoon jammed the two cutters in between the doors, successfully preventing them from being opened.

"Jihoon!" He heard Bumzu shout.

He couldn't help it. He cackled nice and loud, clapping included. "See you later, Batman."

Jihoon knew that Batman would probably be able to escape within three minutes, but it would give him plenty of time to change location.

He flipped over the fence again and ran, keeping his breathing even and his footsteps light. 

The mission became this game of cat and mouse for the rest of the night. Each time Bumzu got closer, Jihoon would frantically scan his surroundings for a quick getaway or way to trick Bumzu into another location.

By the time it was 5:35 in the morning, the sun was starting to come up, and more people were starting to leave their apartments and homes. It became easier for Jihoon to blend in with the people out on their early morning jog. After leaving Batman confused in an empty warehouse, Jihoon stuck his hands inside his joggers and counted the few bills he had there.

Perfect.

Jihoon stood at the edge of the street and hailed a cab.

He climbed into the backseat with a self-satisfied grin, "Kye Manor, please."

The taxi man shifted in his seat and raised a brow, "Kid, I can't drive there without security permission.

Jihoon removed his hood and smiled, "It won't be a problem. Trust me."

In the three years of being with Bumzu, Jihoon had appeared with the billionaire by his side at conventions and fundraisers. Everyone knew him as Kye Bumzu's adopted son. So when the taxi man saw him, his eyes opened comically wide.

"Of course, Lee Jihoon."

Jihoon grinned even brighter. He settled more comfortably in his seat and put on his seatbelt—safety first. 

Jihoon arrived at the gates of Kye Manor at 5:55. Thanking the taxi man, handing him his money, and making sure he was out of sight, Jihoon hopped over the gate. He dashed across the path to the manor, greeted Doogi with laughter, and cackled all the way to the Batcave.

He used his hoodie to wipe the sweat from his forehead as he descended the elevators. His breath came in short pants, and he did his best to regulate it.

The elevator doors opened, and Jihoon made his way over to the computers. He turned it on and did his best to appear nonchalant.

A few seconds later, he heard the elevator again.

He spun in his chair and glanced over at Bumzu. 

"Hey, what took you so long?" Jihoon asked with a grin.

Bumzu looked halfway between exasperated and proud. Jihoon knew he had done a good job without having to be told. Bumzu stepped near him and looked down at him with a serious face. Jihoon stopped grinning. Had he done something wrong?

"Come with me," Bumzu said.

Jihoon cautiously stood to his feet but followed Bumzu to the weapons table of the Batcave. The older man grabbed a giant black metal case and dropped it onto the table. Jihoon felt his heart jolt at the sound of the case opening. 

Bumzu began to empty the contents and lay them out on the table. "These are hardened Kevlar plates over titanium-dipped tri-weave fibers for flexibility—you'll be lighter, faster, more agile," Bumzu said, holding a pair of forearm cuffs. "Now there is a trade-off. Separation of the plates makes you more vulnerable to knives and gunfire." 

Jihoon didn't understand. "What?"

Bumzu actually smiled. He reached inside the case and pulled out a black and white domino mask. He held it out for Jihoon to take. "Congratulations...Robin."

 **BATCAVE** **  
****2009 August 3, 8:30 p.m. EST**

"Jun, give it back!" Jihoon shouted, nearly climbing over his friend to grab his mask.

Jun laughed and held the mask out of reach, "And keep our Jihoonie's pretty eyes out of sight? No way!" 

Jun grumbled in frustration and dug his foot in Jun's midsection and pulled Jun's shoulder down as he tried to reach for the mask again. 

Jun laughed and shifted his weight, so Jihoon fell onto his back. Jun laughed again and cackled exaggeratedly as he pranced around the cave with the mask. Jun removed his nearly identical mask and put on Jihoon's instead.

Jihoon sat up and decided to let Jun tire himself out. 

His friend had received his own mask about a month ago. Jun was officially now known as Speedy. The name fit him perfectly, as Jun quickly ran from one area of the cave to another. When his friend had been given permission to go on missions with his mentor, Jihoon thought he would be jealous. However, he only felt proud of his friend. Over these two years, their mentors would have them spar with one another when the occasion allowed for it. They quickly learned each other's strengths and weaknesses. Jun definitely deserved it. He worked hard. 

And past the training, the two had become close friends. They didn't hang out much because they were rarely left with free time between school and their own individual training. But whenever either of them could spare it, they would spend it in each other's homes. They most often texted each other, and while they didn't have much in common, it was nice to talk to someone in a similar situation.

Still, Jihoon rolled his eyes at Jun's antics, straightened out his cape, and walked over to Bumzu, who had been ignoring the pair as he typed something on the computer.

He seemed frustrated, and before Jihoon could ask, "You were hacking the computer again, weren't you?" Bumzu questioned.

He had but...

Jihoon was distracted as Jun approached them. He also seemed intrigued by whatever was on the screen, but Jihoon didn't look. He walked to his friend and hugged him from behind. Jun's defenses were suddenly dropped at the rare display of physical contact. Jihoon smiled against his friend's back and then bent backward, flinging Jun over his head. Jun yelped as he fell headfirst. 

Jihoon reached for his mask and fitted it over his face. He grinned in triumph and finally answered, "Is it hacking if it's my own program?" He asked Bumzu. 

Bumzu glanced over at Jun then back at Jihoon. "I guess not, but—"

An alarm sounded around the cave. Jihoon had grown accustomed to the sound over the years, but Jun flinched as he sat up. Jihoon stepped to the side, giving room for Bumzu to get up and go and take care of whatever it was, but then Bumzu looked down at him. "Let's go, Robin."

Jihoon couldn't believe it. His breath caught in his chest for a moment, and he looked at Jun. Jun gave him two big thumbs up and said, "Good luck!"

Jihoon nodded and followed Batman to the Batmobile, not before remembering to grab his long bo staff. He pushed the button on the staff's side to shrink the staff and tucked against his thigh harness. 

The Batmobile speeded into Gotham's street.

"There's a shipment that's going to be targeted by Bane's goons," Batman said, as they approved the harbor.

Jihoon nodded.

"Provide backup as—" 

"Incoming target," The Batmobile's female voice interrupted.

They glanced at the computer console, but before they could react, something big and explosive knocked against the vehicle.

"Passenger seat ejected," The Batmobile said.

Jihoon shouted as he was flung out of the vehicle first.

He landed several feet away, and as he got his bearings, he spotted a group of ten men rush to the Batmobile and load a knocked out Batman into the truck.

"No," Jihoon gasped.

His first instinct was to rush forward and follow the truck, but Batman had taught him better than that. 

The men didn't notice him as he slowly approached and threw a tracker onto the truck from his utility belt. He slipped into the shadows and let the truck drive past him. Jihoon moved into an alley as first responders started to arrive and pulled out his tracking device.

The men were heading to the pier. 

Okay, he could do this. 

He typed quickly on the tracking device to quickly find the fastest possible route. The device tracker highlighted the path for him. Jihoon took another deep breath. He could do this. This is what he wanted. 

Hitchhiking on the roof of commercial trucks, Jihoon arrived at his destination. It was an abandoned warehouse. 

Jihoon steadily approached. There weren't any guards posted upfront, which didn't make Jihoon feel so good. Whoever picked up Batman definitely knew what they were dealing with. Jihoon spotted a ladder on the side of the building. He climbed it, heading to the roof of the warehouse.

On light feet, he trekked over it and looked through the windows.

He spotted thirteen men. Seven on the top floor, five on the bottom. They had Batman on a chair restrained by rope. One of the men was talking with him, but Jihoon couldn't hear. He was focused on Bumzu, but his mentor looked to be knocked out. 

Okay. 

He knew what he needed to do.

He slid down the ladder and roamed the outside of the warehouse, and spotted the generator. Jihoon grinned. He quickly picked the lock and pulled the lever down. He heard the power cut off and then several people from inside the warehouse shouting in distress.

Jihoon hit the small button on the side of his mask, activating the night vision goggles. He took a deep breath. His heart rate was coming in quicker, and blood was pumping in his ears. He was nervous as hell, but he had signed up for this. Asked for it. 

Slowly, he headed toward the stairs to the second floor of the warehouse. He carefully avoided any obstacles in his path. He came to his first goon. A tall, muscular man held a gun in his hand. He was breathing hard and pointing the gun in all directions. He could do this. Jihoon swung his bo staff, right in the man's head. The man fired his gun to Jihoon's right in distress, but Jihoon had successfully knocked the man out.

However, in the first gunfire, goons started shouting in every direction.

Jihoon jumped as a man spotted him. He swung his bo staff around his neck and struck him across the face as well.

The gunfire grew louder. Jihoon moved. He crouched low as he climbed the stairs. The goons were shouting and blindingly shooting. 

He used it to his advantage. There was a goon with his back turned, Jihoon shoved his foot in the man's back, and he tumbled down the stairs taking two other goons with him.

He ran to the next target. He hit his staff against a man's knees, and he fell off the rafters.

"Someone get the power!" A goon shouted.

The gunfire was still going.

Jihoon crouched low behind a few boxes to gather his breath and take in how many were left. Two more on the rafters. He tucked his bo staff back in its harness and ran forward. He gripped the fence barrier of the rafters and spun around it like the bars back at home. Jihoon let his momentum knock the guys off the second floor. He heard them fall to the ground with a sickening break of bones. 

"I found the power boss!" Another goon shouted.

The lights flickered on. Jihoon gasped as the remaining goons spotted him on the higher levels of the warehouse. Jihoon glanced at the floor and spotted a gun. He grabbed it and fired several shots into the ceiling, knocking out the lights.

Even with the lights off, the goons knew his location. They started shooting again.

Jihoon only had a few seconds to react. He rolled out of the way.

"Robin! Take cover!" He heard Batman shout. 

Jihoon hid behind the boxes from before. Okay, Batman was up. That was good. He could do this. Jihoon was slightly hyperventilating, but he was pushing away his anxiety as much as he could. 

Batman shouted again, "Strobe light!" 

Jihoon nodded, "Strobe light," He reached for inside his utility belt. He pulled out two and twisted each one on. He dropped one on top of the boxes. The men started shooting in that direction. Jihoon crouched low and dropped the second one in the opposite direction. 

The gunfire was shooting in that direction as well.

He needed a new location.

He spotted a hook to lift heavy containers and shipment on the ceiling. He pulled out his grip hook and shot it. He flew into the sky and trusted his gymnastics training to tuck his body and let go.

He tumbled and rolled to the ground right next to a goon. He swiped his leg underneath him, knocking the man down. He moved to the next man. 

"Weight!" Batman directed.

Right, Jihoon charged at full speed. He jumped and twisted his leg on the man's neck and used the man's own weight to drop him down. Three more goons. He could do this.

A gun was shot. 

Jihoon froze as he felt the sting on his ear.

He could feel some blood starting to seep down his neck, but he couldn't focus on that. Keep going, that's what Batman says. He pulled out his bo staff and used his long reach to his advantage. He knocked out the two men with little struggle and then used his bo staff and placed it between the rope and Batman's chair. He tugged, and Batman used his strength to break the binds.

Suddenly the noise of the blood rushing to his head was too loud.

He was breathing too fast and too hard. There wasn't any oxygen. Oh god. He felt two hands fall onto his shoulders, and when he looked up, he saw his mentor looking down at him proudly. 

He breathed through his nose, out through his mouth, forcing himself to let the tension and anxiety go. Just like Batman and Hyelim taught him. 

Jihoon thought of his mother and father. Thought of a soft melody of a piano playing. The tune and melody filled his head, and then his breath evened out.

"You did good," Batman said over him.

Jihoon smiled. 

**GOTHAM** **  
****2009 November 15, 11:36 p.m. EST**

Over these past three months, Jihoon had learned that Bumzu had little regard for his own safety. The mission comes first. Is what he always said. At first, Jihoon didn't like it. 

One time, they were fighting off Bane's goons at a bank, and so Bane couldn't take a hostage, Batman had placed himself in front of the woman and had taken on an arsenal of bullets. He obviously used it as a distraction as Jihoon took out the men and their guns, but Jihoon didn't like it. 

He liked that Batman trusted him enough to carry out important parts of the plan, but the fact that if Jihoon tried anything similar, he would get chewed out for days by both Bumzu and Doogi. 

Currently, Jihoon was sitting on top of a roof and looking down into an alley to keep watch. Batman was interrogating a man from the third floor on the fire escape. They were looking for key details on Penguin's whereabouts, but it seemed like the man wasn't going to let up any information.

But then, Batman dangled the man off the ledge and shoved. Jihoon expected him to catch him. It was a bluff. It had to be.

The man hit against the cement floor. 

A height like this wouldn't kill him, but it most definitely would have shattered a few bones. Batman used his grip hook and dropped onto the floor beside the man.

"Do you want to be knocked off again?" Batman asked.

The man shook his head and gave them the location. 

Jihoon pressed a hand to his pounding heart.

 **GOTHAM** **  
****2009 December 12, 2:30 a.m. EST**

Jihoon dropped onto his bed with his knees on his thighs and his face in his hands. His hands were shaking. When Batman had asked him if he was okay when they had returned from the mission, Jihoon had muttered out a soft, "yeah." He shed out of his Robin suit, hung it on his designated spot in the Batcave, and went to his room. 

He took a quivering breath. He had seen Batman no—he had seen Bumzu snap someone's neck. He knew the man was bad. Hell, he was selling girls on the street not much older than Jihoon's age...but.

Jihoon felt his stomach twist and turn.

It was for the mission.

It was all for the mission.

That's what Bumzu always said.

So, it couldn't be bad. Right? 

He jumped out of his skin as he heard something buzz. He straightened and heard his phone vibrating from where he had left it inside his night drawer. He pulled it open and answered, seeing from the caller ID that it was from Jun.

"Hello?" He tried to keep his voice normal.

Jun probably dealt with stuff like this too. It was part of the superhero gig, right? Better not make a big deal out of it. 

"Great! You're back from your mission! You will never believe what showed up at the harbor of Star City!" Jun cried and recounted the giant sea monster that he, Arrow, and Aquaman had fought. Jihoon did his best to listen. 

Jun's story was a nice distraction, and his voice was starting to calm him down. His eyes trailed to the side, and he saw his open night drawer. A shiny red metal caught his eye. Jihoon tucked his phone between his shoulder and head, reaching forward. 

He grabbed the object and saw it was a bottle cap from a Coke. Jihoon smiled, suddenly remembering two years ago on Christmas that Jun had given him the drink as a present. He had nearly forgotten he had tucked the cap inside his drawer. He held it a little tighter and scooched on his bed until his back was against the headboard.

Jihoon fiddled with the cap, continuing to listen to Jun ramble on. "And then it shot black ink all over Zhou Mi and…"

Without realizing, Jihoon slowly drifted off to sleep. 

**GOTHAM** **  
****2009 December 20, 12:08 a.m. EST**

Jihoon and Bumzu were getting extremely adept at working with each other. Nothing needed to be said anymore. Jihoon knew where Bumzu needed him at all times. Occasionally, he still needed a hand signal or two but shouted directions or even a call of his name wasn't necessary. 

They had been out patrolling the streets of Gotham nearly every single night since Jihoon had become Robin. He wasn't even getting scared anymore. Even watching Batman shoot a man between the eyes to save the rest of the others didn't even phase him. 

It was for the mission: the greater good.

They finished capturing everyone at the bank, successfully stopping the bank robbery. They tied up the remaining goods together, and when the police arrived to take everyone in, Batman and Jihoon slipped into the shadows.

Jihoon yawned as he climbed into the Batmobile.

"Tired?" Bumzu asked.

Jihoon shook his head, "A little."

"Get some rest when you get home. You deserve it."

Jihoon smiled in thanks. He reached inside his utility belt as he felt a buzz. He had begun to take his cell phone, Bumzu didn't seem to mind as long as he wasn't using it during missions. His keychain: a Coke bottle cap, made a soft clinking sound as he flipped open his phone. 

He laughed as he saw it was a photo from Jun. His friend looked to be on top of some clock tower on all fours of the building's ledge in his Speedy suit and meowing up at the moon above him.

Honestly, Jihoon couldn't tell if Jun had rigged the phone up with a timer or if he had honestly asked Zhou Mi to take the picture. Either one was scarily possible. 

He texted back: weirdo.

Jihoon received a couple of laughing emojis in return. 

**GOTHAM TOWN HALL** **  
****2009 December 21, 5:30 p.m. EST**

There was a smell of cinnamon and pine in the air as Jihoon walked the busy street with Bumzu. It had been a while since they were out as father and son out in Gotham instead of Batman and Robin. Jihoon thought Hyelim was the reason behind it when he mentioned that he wished just once Bumzu would enjoy the holiday festivities.

So they were here in Gotham's Town Hall. The entire street had been closed, and several food stalls and vendors had propped up their tents. Jihoon had thanked Bumzu as he bought him a funnel cake and hot chocolate. Jihoon was walking around with the plate, careful not to spill the powdered sugar onto his new peacoat. He followed Bumzu, where a large stage had been raised, and several wooden benches had been set out in front.

Jihoon and Bumzu took their seats as a man began to speak through the microphone. "And lucky citizens of Gotham, we have a special treat for you. The Dangerous Dinos are set to take the stage in five minutes! Everyone! Five minutes! You better take your seats because this is a show you won't want to miss!"

The man walked off the stage.

"Dangerous Dinos?" Bumzu asked.

Jihoon didn't know either. Hell, his entire life was school and beating bad guys. Bumzu swore he knew anything about performance groups. He pulled out his phone and searched up the name.

"They're an acrobatic dance troupe from Bludhaven," Jihoon told him, tucking in phone back into his pocket and continuing to eat his funnel cake.

The man with the microphone returned, and Jihoon wiped some of the powdered sugar off his nose. He announced the Dangerous Dinos again, and the crowd cheered. Jihoon set his plate to the side and clapped along with the crowd. The sleeves of his peacoat slapping uselessly together. 

A moment later, thirty-something people emerged onto the stage. Many of them were adults, and a handful of them were teens, but Jihoon spotted a small child no older than ten walk confidently with the rest of the troupe to the center of the stage.

The music started.

It sounded like an epic score from a movie where good battled with evil. The troupe began to dance in sync, along with the strong beats. Then one man was standing on another man's shoulders and lifting up the ten-year-old high into the air. He was swung back and forth and then thrown across the stage. The crowd gasped and then cheered when another group of men was there waiting to catch him. 

Then they did it again. And again. They were flinging the child every which way. The kid didn't even flinch or react. He just kept spinning in the air like it was nothing. Jihoon wasn't even there yet with his gymnastics training. 

This kid had some guts.

When the performance was over, the crowd, including Jihoon and Bumzu, stood to their feet and cheered. The dance troupe bowed at the praise, and one of the troupe's men came forward to take the offered microphone, but the microphone wasn't working. Suddenly, laughter was heard. Jihoon turned in the direction and saw a man in a green suit and purple tie on top of the town's hall with a microphone of his own. 

"Riddle me this!" The man sang into the mic. "The more you add to it, the larger it grows and takes away; what is it?"

The crowd stared at him in confusion, and when no one answered. The man laughed, "Why a fire, of course!"

Suddenly, there was an explosion from the stage. People shouted and ran in every which way. Jihoon stuck close to Bumzu.

"Jihoon," Bumzu whispered. 

Jihoon nodded. They dashed down the street toward where Doogi had parked the limo. The butler was already there waiting for them with the door open. 

They climbed inside and saw their suits neatly folded on the bench. Jihoon quickly began changing. There was a sound of another explosion and people screaming even louder. It spurred Jihoon to change even faster. 

Bumzu emerged from the limo first and started heading toward the town hall building. Jihoon jumped out next and headed to the stage. The area was nearly clear. Jihoon hopped onto the stage and looked around. All the men and women were knocked unconscious on the floor. Several of them were bleeding heavily from their heads or had shards of metal pierced in their skin. It was a shatter bomb. 

Jihoon quickly went to each person, checking their pulse. He needed to get those alive to safety. But as he moved from person to person, there was nothing. No. They had been so close. They could have stopped this.

A sharp whimper came from the back of the stage.

Jihoon approached slowly and saw the kid from the dance troupe. The child was curled in on himself, sobbing and bleeding from his temple and nose. He placed a gentle hand on the kid's shoulder, and the boy jumped. 

"Hey, I'm here to help," Jihoon told him.

The kid's tears were slightly pink as they mixed with his blood. The kid needed immediate medical attention. He probably had a concussion. 

Another explosion sounded. Jihoon looked over his shoulder and saw it had come from the Town Hall. It was probably fine. Batman was on it.

"I work with Batman," he told the kid. He extended his hand out.

"Batman?"

Jihoon nodded.

The kid hesitantly took his hand. Jihoon pulled him to his feet and started to help him off the stage. The kid was definitely wobbly on his feet, and Jihoon tried not to be impatient as he heard another explosion go off.

He walked the kid down the empty street now and spotted Doogi running toward him. Jihoon handed him the kid. 

"I got him, Robin, you go."

Jihoon nodded. He took one last glance just to make sure the kid was fine. He was lifted into Doogi's arms. 

He shook his head to snap out of it and ran in the direction of the town hall.

The Riddler wasn't adept at fighting in the least, but he had rigged the Town Hall with explosives, so it was difficult to walk through without setting off one of his traps. Luckily, within ten minutes, they caught him and sent him off with the police. 

Jihoon rubbed at his sore back, where an explosion had thrown him against the wall. 

"C'mon, we better find Doogi," Batman said.

Jihoon nodded. Doogi knew that when anything like this happened, he had to change locations to avoid suspicion. 

They found him parked near the local library. Everyone was too distracted with the sudden swarm of ambulances and firefighter trucks that they didn't even notice Batman and Robin entering a limo. 

They saw Doogi with a first aid medical kit and working a needle on the kid's temple. 

"Is he going to be okay?" Jihoon asked.

"He will be. I'm just patching up the bleeding," Doogi answered. 

Bumzu said, "We should take him to a hospital."

"No!" Jihoon suddenly cried out.

They eyed him oddly. They couldn't just leave the kid, could they? The way he had looked at Jihoon...it seemed familiar. "We have all the medical equipment back at the cave, right?"

Bumzu answered slowly, "We do."

"Then let's patch him up there, and then we can help him look for his parents." Jihoon scratched at his gloved hands. "I know how the system works... they're going to take care forever to help him."

Suddenly, the kid answered in a low voice, "I don't have parents. Or a family."

Jihoon looked at Bumzu imploringly. 

"Fine," Bumzu grumbled.

Doogi finished dressing the wound, and then he drove them to Kye Manor. 

**KYE MANOR** **  
****2009 December 24, 11:36 p.m. EST**

Chan was not lying to them when he said he didn't have any family. He didn't even know who his parents were and had no desire to look for them. Since his birth, he had been passed around from foster home to foster home. No one ever wanted him. At seven, Chan ran away. He ended up in the streets of Bludhaven, even worse than Gotham's downtown nightlife. He lied, cheated, stole from drunks, anything to survive. 

At eight, he had found an acrobatic dance troupe...and they took him in. They taught him how to dance, how to tumble, how to stare at fear in the eyes and tell it to go to hell. He appreciated their help. They did their best to take care of him, but Chan didn't want to impede their hospitality. He was acutely aware that many of them came from run-down homes and families. He didn't want to take away from the few resources they had. So when they asked him if he had a family, Chan lied. He told them he lived with a single mom in a one-bedroom apartment, and she worked long hours. The story was familiar to everyone in the dance troupe, so they never questioned him about it.

He enjoyed performing with them.

He liked the rush and thrill of diving into danger. It brought life into him...but now…

If the reports were correct, they were all dead.

He had nowhere to go. Again.

But, maybe here. 

Batman and Robin had offered him a place to stay, to live. A home. Chan still wasn't sure. He had never had a home. What was a home even like?

He had spent the last three years in streets, under bridges, and questionable rooms. That had become normal for him. But this, all this luxury, this manor, it couldn't be for him. Could it?

"Ummm….I brought you some chocolate?"

Chan turned away from the fireplace in the large library and spotted Robin—no—Jihoon holding a mug of steaming chocolate. 

Kye Bumzu and Jihoon had revealed their identities to him when he said he didn't have anywhere to go. That's when they said he could stay. 

He didn't know how to feel knowing about their secret identities. He had seen in newspapers, and tv's in shop windows about Batman and his new sidekick Robin fighting crime all over Gotham. They were supposed to be the good guys, right?

Chan didn't know.

Chan didn't know how to feel about anything at the moment.

"Umm..chocolate?" Jihoon asked again.

"Oh," Chan finally answered. "Sorry, yeah. Thanks."

He took the mug, and tentatively took a sip. It was a bit too sweet, but Chan didn't say anything. He held the mug at his lap and continued looking at the fireplace.

Jihoon sat beside him on the other end of the couch. "You know," He muttered. Chan eyed him oddly; the kid was definitely awkward. No social skills whatsoever. "My parents were killed."

Chan eyed his mug. "I don't know where my parents are. They might have been killed too."

"What I'm trying to say is that I know what it feels like to experience loss."

Loss? Chan wasn't experiencing loss. People just left him. 

"I'm sorry," Jihoon muttered again. "I'm bad at this."

Chan took another sip of the chocolate. 

"Did Batman take you in when your parents died?" Chan asked when Jihoon had gotten quiet.

"Yeah, but I was in an orphanage for a few—"

"You were?" Chan asked, hopefully. Maybe the kid did understand. 

"Yeah...but just a few days."

"Oh," Chan said sadly. "You got adopted."

"Kind of," Jihoon said, "I only got adopted because Bumzu felt bad."

"About what?"

"He thinks he's the reason why my parents died. It isn't true, though. So I don't think he really..."

"Oh...so, no one wanted you too?"

"It's not that no one wanted me. I didn't have anyone," Jihoon replied.

Chan stopped and looked over at Jihoon. "I've seen you on the news and stuff."

"Yeah?"

"Yup," Chan scrunched his face. "You suck at back handsprings."

Jihoon's face turned an interesting shade of pink, and Chan couldn't help but laugh. It was loud and boisterous, feet stomping onto the ground and a bit of hot chocolate spilling onto his hand. 

"I don't!" Jihoon declared.

Chan smirked and didn't say anything. He took another sip from his mug.

Jihoon's cheeks became full as he pouted, but they deflated as he looked over at the large Christmas tree pushed against the large windows. Jihoon hopped off the couch and over to the tree. Chan eyed him curiously.

Jihoon came back with two wrapped presents. He dropped one wrapped neatly in red wrapping paper onto his lap. "Open it."

"Huh?"

"I bought you a Christmas gift."

"Why?"

"Because it's Christmas."

"But you don't even know me," Chan whined but opened it anyway. He gasped when he saw it was the newest model of phones from Kye Tech. He never...he never had a phone. He never had a real present, either.

"I decided to get you something practical. You're going to need a phone for emergencies. I already programmed mine, Bumzu's, and Doogi's as emergency contacts."

Emergency?

"So if you run into any trouble," Jihoon continued. "Just give us a call. Okay?"

Chan nodded dumbfoundedly. He had never had anyone to call either. This was...His eyes fell to the other present in Jihoon's hands. It was a present wrapped with cats in Santa hats. "What's that?" He asked.

"Oh, this is a present from Jun," Jihoon answered. He passed the box. It was bigger than the one he got from Jihoon.

"Jun?"

"He's an uhh friend. You'll probably meet him later today when we go over to his place. But I told him about you, and he sent this via Zeta Tube."

Chan eyed the wrapping paper and then slowly opened it too. It was a clear plastic box filled with candy and other snacks. 

Chan began to cry. 

**STAR CITY** **  
****2010 February 11, 2:15 p.m. PST**

"Quit it!" Chan whined loudly, batting away Jun's hands, who kept tugging at his woven hat.

"But I don't want you getting sick on your birthday!" Jun announced, still trying to pull the hat over Chan's ears.

"Jihoon!" Chan cried out for help.

Jihoon watched the two with an unimpressed face as he sipped from his coke. "What? You think he listens to me?"

Chan managed to grab Jun's hands and shove him away. The thirteen-year-old laughed loudly, clearly unbothered by the rough treatment. He made his way over to Jihoon's side and flung an arm over Jihoon's shoulders.

"So, what do you want to do first, little one?" Jun questioned.

Chan eyed the two sidekicks with confusion. They were asking him that now? Jun had appeared at Kye Manor at six in the morning, waking him and Jihoon up and taking the two back to Star City. 

They had gone to a fancy place for breakfast, gone to see a movie with large amounts of popcorn, and now they were in an amusement park where Jihoon and Jun had gorged on hot dogs and coke. He didn't know how they managed to stuff all the food inside. But the entire day, Jun and Jihoon had been calling all the shots. They hadn't even asked him what he had wanted to do on his birthday. He didn't even know what people did on their birthdays—oh. That's why.

"Ummm…" Chan scanned the park in genuine thought. 

He spotted a rollercoaster with two loops. "That one," He said tentatively.

"We just ate," Jihoon whined.

"Which is the very reason we should get on it," Jun declared, already linking arms with Jihoon and taking Chan with them.

They didn't stand in line for very long, seeing as it was a Thursday. All of them were supposed to be in school, but Jun told him not to worry that he would take the blame for it. He better. Chan still couldn't get a read on Bumzu, but Jihoon had also told him not to worry too much. So he really did hope he wouldn't get in trouble. He didn't want to anger Bumzu, not when he was starting to actually enjoy living in the manor.

Jun took the front row of his volition, and Jihoon and Chan took the seats behind him. When the ride attendant began to lock them in, Jun started to shout. "Jihoonie! Wah! I'm so scared!" A burst of maniacal laughter erupted from the teen.

Chan glanced over at Jihoon. Jihoon was laughing at his friend's behavior and clapping his two hands in front. Oh. These two were definitely something.

The ride attendant counted down from ten, but he pressed the start button at the ride shot out like a bullet when he said two. All three of them were screaming loudly, and Chan was kicking his feet. The wind against his face and the sudden rush of adrenaline reminded him of flying through the air during his performances. 

The ride came to a close, and Jun and Jihoon emerged, holding their stomachs and groaning.

"Was it worth it?" Chan asked.

Jun managed a grin and questioned in reply, "Did you have fun?"

"Yeah, I did," He answered honestly.

Jun leaped at Chan again and held him tightly. "Then, it was definitely worth it."

Chan tried to push him away, "Quit it, people are staring—"

Their voices were drowned out as a loud crackle was heard over the theme park's loudspeakers. A woman's voice came through, "Oh Green Arrow, please come out and play. You promised me a date."

Chan and Jihoon snapped their heads in Jun's direction. Jun broke away from Chan and slowly said, "He's on an away mission. He's not here." Jun stood straighter. "But we got this. It's just Cupid. She's a little crazy, but she's no real big threat."

There was a sudden explosion from the gaming booths. Immediately people started running.

"No threat?" Jihoon asked with a grumble.

"She's not!" Jun urged. "C'mon." He dragged Jihoon forward.

"Wait!" Chan cried, realizing they were about to leave him. He looked desperately around. "I can help!"

Jihoon grimaced, "Sorry, kid. But…" Jihoon paused. "Go talk to that security man over there. Tell him the safest thing to do right now is cut all the power. It will deter any electrical fires if there are any explosions. Then help as many people get into the parking lot, okay?"

Chan nodded. 

Jihoon watched Chan run toward the security guard. Jun gripped his arm, and they started running toward the nearest bathroom. "That was nice of you," Jun told him as they ran.

"He's been asking Bumzu if he can help."

"What did he say?"

"He'll think about it."

Jun frowned. Yeah, Jihoon didn't like it either. They rushed inside the empty bathroom and began shedding their clothes. Since the stunt back in December, Jihoon had begun wearing his suit underneath his clothes whenever he wasn't at school. He couldn't waste any time. He needed to be prepared. 

Apparently, Jun had been trained to keep his suit nearby because he pulled it out from the backpack he was carrying. They stuffed their clothes in Jun's backpack and hid it in one of the bathroom vents.

They came out just in time.

They spotted a woman dressed nearly identically to Green Arrow's suit, except she wasn't wearing a mask. She had large brown eyes and a perfectly acted soft smile. Her hair was brown, but the ends were dipped fire engine red. 

"Oh, it's you," she said when she spotted Jun. "I don't wanna babysit Green Arrow's sidekick." She pulled out an arrow from her quiver and shot at them.

It exploded against the pavement, and the two only had a fraction of a second to jump out of the way.

Jun aimed his arrow high above, shooting a hook to a nearby building to get to a higher point. Jihoon took his bo staff and charged. He swung it. She bent back to avoid it. He swung again and quickly cornered her against a gaming booth. He aimed to knock her head, but she ducked out of the way. Jihoon grunted as his staff got lodged against the wall and stuck in the middle of a stuffed toy's stomach. As he worked to pull it out, she bent and kicked his arms. From the pain, Jihoon lost his grip on his staff.

His momentary hesitation only lasted a second. He gripped the end of his staff and aimed a high kick against it. It dislodged, and the staff swung toward the woman. She ducked again and held her bow against her back like a shield. 

Jihoon tried to hit her side instead, but she stood and used her bow to push the staff away. He spun the staff in her direction, but she kept blocking it. She giggled loudly and spun against the staff toward him. She managed three punches against his ribcage before Jihoon managed to use his staff to make some distance between them again. 

He heard an arrow whizz through the air and then explode beside the woman.

Jihoon glanced up and saw Jun placing another arrow on his string. He pulled, and the woman dropped a smoke bomb from her pocket onto the ground.

Jihoon jumped back and coughed. He scanned the area and saw Jun jumping from building to building after her. He gave chase as well. 

He spotted a hint of green swinging onto the Ferris wheel. 

"Robin!" Jun cried. "I'm out of hooks!"

Jihoon nodded. Jun jumped from his building, and Jihoon pulled out his retractable grappling hook. He hit the button, and Jun clung to his back. Even in this situation, he heard his friend laughing. "Maybe we should crack this whole sidekick thing and just be partners!" Jun cried out.

Jihoon couldn't help but let out a chuckle. They jumped onto the compartment below her and climbed up to meet her.

Together the two fought her. The compartment swung dangerously back and forth as each of them took a step. It didn't matter, though; they needed to capture her. Jihoon ducked as Jun shot an arrow behind him. A net exploded from the tip of his arrow and captured the woman.

The woman gasped. She took a step back and slipped off the compartment.

Jihoon gasped. He fired his grappling hook one final time and dived. He caught the woman just in time. 

He wasn't strong enough to hold her up, so when they were a safe distance from the floor, he dropped her. She fell face first.

Jihoon landed on his feet, and Jun appeared beside him. 

"You damaged my face!" She cried out, whining like a little girl.

Jun shook his head and reached for his own utility belt. He pulled out a set of cuffs and tied them on the woman's wrist. 

"He's not going to date you, you know," Jun told the woman.

The woman pouted. "He will; one day."

They waited for the police to arrive and handed her off to the authorities. Meanwhile, Jun and Jihoon reemerged outside the park in their civilian clothes, looking for Chan.

Chan found them and rushed over to them. "You two looked so cool! Everyone could see you two fighting on the Ferris wheel!"

Jihoon gasped and clamped his hand over Chan's mouth. "Will you shut it?!"

Chan muttered an apology behind his hand. Slowly, Jihoon let him go and asked, "Are you okay?"

Chan nodded and then said. "I want to be like you two."

Jihoon really did not like that answer.

 **BATCAVE** **  
****2010 July 13, 8:20 p.m. EST**

Jihoon grunted in pain as Jun kicked his stomach. He held firm, gripped his knee and tugged him forward, and used his elbow to strike Jun across the face. Jun rolled forward, and Jihoon jumped, seeing Jun position for a leg sweep. 

He created some distance between them when he heard Bumzu shout, "And break."

Jun and Jihoon both collapsed onto the mat, sweat running down their face and backs. Jihoon cracked an eye open when he saw Zhou Mi standing above him, holding a water bottle in front of him.

"You two are getting better," he told him.

Jihoon said thanks and took the water. He hated and loved sparring with Jun. Hated on the principle that it was his friend, and loved it, on the fact, that Jun never held back. It was always a challenge, and Jihoon appreciated that.

It felt like he could see real growth in his fights with Jun instead of his fights with his mentor. 

Speaking of his mentor, "Are there any signs of a mission?" Jihoon asked Bumzu. He stood to his feet and went over to the computers to look up any police reports.

"Doesn't look like tonight," Bumzu replied, spinning in his chair. "Take a night off. If anything pops up, I'll take Zhou Mi with me."

The man gasped in delight. "You'll take me?"

Bumzu rolled his eyes.

"Night off, yes!" Jun shouted in glee. He reached forward and tugged Jihoon with him.

"Take your mask!" Zhou Mi shrieked at Jun. He tossed him the mask that Jun had removed earlier to spar with Jihoon.

Jihoon shook his head at his friend's forgetfulness. He entered the Zeta Tube and sighed as saw Bumzu approach Chan who was doing pushups in the corner of the Batcave. 

_"Speedy A07. Robin A08."_

The Zeta Tube transported them to Star City. They exited out of the fake phone booth deposited in the alley. Jihoon stretched his limbs and looked up. It was five in the afternoon here—the sky still tinged in orange and pink.

Jihoon followed an overeager Jun to a man selling hot dogs in the corner. He looked at them oddly because they were still in their crime-fighting suits, but he didn't say anything when they handed him an extra tip. They took their hot dogs, chips, and drinks up to Star City's clock tower, and together they sat at the very top overlooking the entire city. 

They ate in silence for a while, until Jihoon felt like he couldn't hold it in anymore. "I don't like Batman training Chan."

Jun looked at him for a moment, then back at the sunset. "I already know that, but do you wanna talk about it some more?"

Jihoon set his chip bag to the side and sighed heavily. "He's advancing the kid a lot faster than he had with me. And I know it's because he already has this amazing athletic ability, and when I had started, I had none, but I'm worried for him. I don't want this life for him." Jihoon pulled up his shirt and showed Jun the scar from a bullet. It had gone straight through, and it had been the most intense pain that Jihoon had ever felt, but luckily, it hadn't hit any major organs. "I got hit two months ago." He pulled the shirt back down. "What if that happens to him?"

"It's what he wants," Jun said.

Jihoon scoffed. "What he wants. He doesn't even have a real reason for wanting to do this."

"Did he tell you why he wanted to do this?" 

"He said he wants to help."

"Isn't that why you wanted to do this?"

"Yeah, but it's different." 

"Why?"

"Because I'm helping because of my parents, he's doing it for…"

"Himself?"

Jihoon sighed. 

Jun set his own food beside him as well and said, "Look. If Batman of all people gave him the okay to do this, then we have to trust that Channie will be fine. And he probably will. He's a tough kid."

"Yeah."

"Do...you not want to do this anymore?"

Jihoon shook his head. "It's not that. It's just I didn't quite know what I was signing up for when I decided this. Batman is a lot different when you're working with him. He gets the job done, but sometimes his methods are…"

"I get it," Jun stated. 

"Yeah, I know you do." He smiled at his friend. "I don't regret this job, but…" Jihoon trailed off, not knowing what he was going to say. He loved being Robin, but sometimes it was a lot. 

"Have you talked to Hyelim about this?"

Jihoon nodded. "Yeah. She says I need to talk to Batman about this, but he's not going to listen, you know him."

Jun agreed. 

"Do you think this crime-fighting thing will get easier as we get older?" Jihoon asked Jun sincerely.

Jun sighed, "I don't know." 

**KYE MANOR** **  
****2011 March 3, 8:50 p.m. EST**

Jihoon and Chan were in the gymnastics room. Even though Chan was probably a better gymnast than him, he lacked basic technique, and that was everything to avoid Chan from getting hurt. As he guided Chan through another set, he heard Bumzu's voice calling him from the loudspeaker. 

It was probably a mission.

"Can I come?" Chan asked.

"No, you're not old enough yet," Jihoon said, not minding that Chan was the same age that Jihoon had become the Robin.

Chan pouted.

"Keep doing those stretches I showed you. Doogi should be finished with dinner soon to teach you the next set, okay?"

Chan complained under his breath but nodded anyway.

Jihoon headed over to the cave and suited up quickly. Bumzu told him it was just a simple bank robbery. That was good. Those were always easy... 

**BATCAVE** **  
****2011 March 3, 11:57 p.m. EST**

Jihoon hopped out of the Batmobile in a huff. "I had it!" Jihoon shouted. 

"You put yourself in danger," Bumzu said stiffly. He climbed out of the car to follow him.

"I always put myself in danger every day," Jihoon yelled back. He went up the stairs and spotted Chan doing some weights while Doogi spotted him. He turned back to Bumzu. 

"Not like that. You stood in front of a loaded gun, ready to take a bullet to the face."

Jihoon scoffed. "How is that different from anything else?"

"You didn't assess the situation! You would have known that man would have shot you. He didn't care if you were a kid."

"I was doing it to protect the hostages. Anything for the mission, right?! That's what you always tell me!"

"There were other ways you could have handled that situation. And you chose the most reckless."

"No, I chose the one that got us out of that mess faster. I did assess the situation, I knew that man would shoot, but I also knew that the gun would jam."

"How?"

"Because I had jammed it before. You hadn't noticed. You need to actually start trusting me and treating me like a partner instead of a sidekick. I've only been doing this for two years, but I'm good, and you know it. But you're always sidelining me. You take on the big guns while I do damage control and provide backup, right? That's what I am to you."

"Jihoon, you also need to understand that—"

"That what?" Jihoon shrieked. "You feel guilty because my parents died because of you." He glanced over and saw Doogi trying to push Chan toward the elevators, but the kid wasn't budging. "So now you think by doing anything for the mission is fine if you put yourself in danger to make up for all the lives you couldn't save. But if anyone else risks their lives to help someone, it's called being reckless and stupid."

"Jihoon," Bumzu said sternly, and it was in that voice. His lecture voice. 

"No!" Jihoon yelled before could. "You don't get to talk. You raised me for years with that mentality. You risk your life to make sure everyone is okay. Every time you told me it's okay to put yourself in danger as long as it was for the mission. So I did that. I did what you taught me. Anything for the mission, so what am I supposed to think and do? Huh?" He looked over at Chan. "Don't raise him with that."

Jihoon walked over to the Zeta Tube. He quickly typed something on the keyboard, changing his designation and masking the coordinates, even though he knew that Batman would know where he was going. 

"Jihoon, stop."

"I quit," Jihoon suddenly announced. 

The room grew deathly quiet. From a distance, he could hear a stalactite from within the cave drip water. "What?" Bumzu asked in shock. 

Jihoon didn't blame him. It shocked him too for saying it. He hadn't meant to say it, but now that it was out in the open, Jihoon felt very sure of himself. He looked at Batman straight in the eye. "I'm done. I'm going to set my own rules now. I'm going to create my own code. Without you."

He stepped inside the Zeta Tube.

 _"Robin B-01,"_ the computer called out.

Jihoon stepped out of the teleporter. Now that he wasn't in front of Batman anymore, his defenses collapsed. He dropped to his knees and wailed. 

Two arms suddenly wrapped around him, and Jihoon leaned against it. He might not have Batman anymore, but he still had Jun. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please leave me your thoughts on Jun and Jihoon? And even Chan? New member has been introduced and more to come now that Jihoon has left~


	4. S1 Episode 4: Project S.Coups

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Now that Jihoon has left his mentor, he feels that he can handle his own mission. He quickly learns that he's in over his head as they uncover the secrets of Project S.Coups. Meanwhile, Jeonghan and Jisoo are introduced and are working on their own secret mission.

**STAR CITY** **  
** **2011 March 5, 9:05 p.m. PST**

"Hey, hey, what's going on?" Jun questioned.

He felt two thumbs swipe under his eyes, and when he focused, he saw Jun kneeling in front of him. Jihoon shook his head, suddenly feeling very embarrassed at being caught like this. He gripped Jun's forearms to push him away, but Jun gently grabbed his hands and set them down. He wiped at Jihoon's face again, this time with the rough material of his gloves. It rubbed his skin uncomfortably. 

Jihoon sniffed and took a good look at Jun. His friend was wearing his Speedy suit. His vigilante gear was so bright compared to the dark forest green Zhou Mi wore. Jun's Speedy outfit consisted of a red kevlar sleeveless top paired with red gloves. The gloves rolled just beneath his elbows and down to his first knuckle, leaving the tips of his fingers exposed to grip his bow and string with precision. His pants were stitched with a mix of kevlar and leather and held up with a yellow utility belt similar to Jihoon's. 

"Jihoon?" Jun asked when Jihoon had spaced out. 

Jihoon hung his head. He sniffed a few times and asked, "Did you come back from a mission?" 

"Mi and I were actually heading out for one," Jun answered.

Jihoon peeked around Jun and spotted the Green Arrow, watching them sadly by the entrance. "I uh…" Jihoon began.

Zhou Mi smiled sympathetically and said, "It's fine. Speedy, I'll handle this on my own. Watch over him."

Jihoon's heart skipped. "What? No, you should—"

"Okay!" Jun responded loudly. He helped Jihoon to his feet. 

Jihoon watched Zhou Mi walk up the stairs and disappear. Jihoon took a shaky breath and used his own gloves to wipe at his face. It left a burning sensation across his eyes and nose.

"I'm sorry," Jihoon mumbled. "You should go with him. I just didn't know—"

"What happened?" Jun asked again.

Jihoon pressed his lips together. He could feel his eyes watering and getting hot. "I don't even know where to begin."

"Let's go upstairs," Jun whispered. He gripped his wrist and hauled him out of the basement. After walking up two sets of stairs and down a hallway, They ended up in Jun's bedroom.

Jun chucked his yellow boots across the room and bounced onto his bed. He patted the bed beside him, expectantly. Jihoon eyed it anxiously. He didn't want to impose on his friend. 

"Oh, right! Tea! Mi says to always give tea! I forgot! Wait here!" Jun leaped off the bed and slid out of the room in socks. 

Jihoon was left standing awkwardly in the middle of Jun's bedroom. Jun's room was slightly bigger than his. The room was split into two sections. There was a raised circular floor with Jun's bed in the center. The bed had royal blue and golden sheets with white fluffy pillows—clearly the mansion's property as he knew his friend had zero taste. On the right side was a large window with heavy blue blackout curtains pulled back to reveal the glistening pool outside. Jihoon shuffled over to the window and sat on the bubble chair that was anchored to the ceiling. It swung with Jihoon's weight. 

Jihoon spun the chair and studied at the rest of the room to see any differences since the last time he was here. On the left side of the room was Jun's dresser. It used to be a beautiful egg white, but now, Jun had covered it with cutesy stickers. Jihoon snorted and looked at the small attachment to the bedroom. There was a set of three steps that led to a rectangular room. There was a couch in front of a large flatscreen TV hung over an electric fireplace. 

Jihoon never understood the need to have a fireplace here in Star City. It never got as cold here as it did in Gotham. His own bedroom had a large fireplace that he liked to light during the winter months...except...it wasn't his bedroom anymore. 

He left Batman.

He left his home.

He had nothing— _ again. _

Jihoon clung to the rope of the bubble chair and started crying anew.

That's how Jun found him. His friend was holding tightly onto a mug that overflowed with tea. He ambled forward, careful to avoid spilling any of it. He stood in front of Jihoon and waited for him to take the mug.

"Thank you," Jihoon muttered.

Jun nodded and sat cross-legged on the floor in front of him.

"Did you get hurt on a mission?" Jun asked softly.

Jihoon took a sip from the tea. Jun had prepared it with too much sugar. He took another sip and set the mug over his thighs. "Nothing like that."

"Then?"

"I left."

There was a pause of silence, then Jun laughed awkwardly, "Yeah, you're here."

"No," Jihoon said sternly. "I left Batman. For good."

Jun's eyes opened wide, and his mouth fell open in shock. "You quit?!"

Jihoon shook his head. "No, I'm just done with him. I'm tired of him being hypocritical. I can handle a mission. I know what I'm doing." Jihoon glanced at his mug, and his hands tightened around it.

"So….does that mean you're going solo?"

Jihoon shrugged. Essentially, that's what he had told Bumzu. He was going to set his own code. He could be great without Batman. He could put the mission first without worrying what Batman had to think. He was going to be his own hero—no more of this sidekick business. "I don't know," He told him. But saying and doing were two different things. He didn't even know where to start. 

He heard Jun let out a puff of air, and when he looked down at him, he saw his friend was smiling. "What?"

"Just," Jun let out a small burst of laughter. "I'm impressed you had the courage to leave him. Jihoonie is really cool for doing something like that."

Jihoon gave him a look. He kicked out with his foot and hit Jun's shoulder lightly. Jun laughed even more. He stood to his feet and went to stare out the window. His eyes overlooked the pool, slightly out of focus.

There was a pause. "Did you want to leave the Green Arrow too?" Jihoon asked curiously.

Jun shrugged with his entire torso and looked back at him. He leaned against the window. "I'm okay here."

"Oh."

Jihoon dropped his gaze back to the mug. 

"Hey! You can stay here if you want!" Jun declared. "Mi wouldn't mind!" 

"I—"

"C'mon!" Jun bounced toward him, clearly already set with his idea. He reached for both of Jihoon's arms and pulled him up. Jihoon groaned in frustration. "Hey, the mug!" Jihoon shouted, saving it at the last minute before ruining Jun's things. 

He set the mug on the ground as Jun kept pulling him. He headed over to his dresser and started handing him some pajamas. "Take off the suit! You can just throw them over on the couch."

Jihoon looked over at the couch. Batman always had him put his suit away neatly in the cave. Clearly, Jun had no such rules because he pulled off his own Speedy suit and threw it across the room. 

Jihoon sighed but moved to remove his suit as well. 

He grunted in discomfort as he pulled a sore muscle on his stomach. He examined his torso and saw a black bruise the size of his fist on his left side. He forgot he had been rammed with the back of a shotgun during the bank heist.

"Oh!" Jun looked at the bruise. "I have some cream for that." Jun disappeared into the small bathroom attached to his bedroom. He returned with a plastic jar and threw it at him. He caught it, and Jihoon opened it; he gagged. _ Oh, that smell. What was it? _

"It's a Chinese paste. It's good for you."

Jihoon trusted his friend. He scrunched his face as he applied it to his skin and handed the jar back to Jun. He put on the offered pajamas that hung too long past his ankles and waist. 

"Alright, I'm gonna head to a spare bedroom and…"

"What are you talking about? Stay here." Jun jumped onto the bed and dropped his stomach onto it to stare at Jihoon.

Jihoon scrunched his face. He watched Jun swing his legs back and forth like some sort of cat. "Nah, I'll go to the spare bedroom next door."

"Jihoonie! But it's so scary in this mansion all alone! Don't leave me here."

Jihoon shot him an unimpressed look. Jun pouted and gave him large, pleading eyes. It really was ridiculous how easy it was to give in to his friend. He sighed and went to retrieve his phone that he left in his utility belt. When he returned, Jun cried out in glee. He threw himself against the bedsheets and left a spot for Jihoon to climb in.

Jihoon took the bed's right side as Jun scrambled out of bed to turn off the lights.

When he returned, Jun had his own phone.

For a long time, the only light in the room came from their own two screens. Laying in the darkness in silence was starting to get to Jihoon again. Especially when he saw he had an incoming text from Chan. He didn't even read it. He ignored the notification. He shouldn't have...

His thoughts were interrupted as he felt Jun's leg press against his. Jihoon let go of the pressure inside his chest and let out a shaky breath.

He fell asleep like that with his phone against his chest and Jun's leg pressed against him. 

**STAR CITY** **  
** **2011 March 7, 4:45 a.m. PST**

Jihoon's eyes shot open before Zhou Mi even stepped into the bedroom. He sat up in bed and looked over at the door as Zhou Mi approached him slowly, trying not to wake up Jun. It wasn't any use. Jihoon saw the stutter in Jun's breath, signaling that he had been woken up as well. Jun, however, remained face down on the bed.

"Look, kid," Zhou Mi began, rubbing the back of his neck. "It's nice having you here, but I can't have you miss school."

School? Jihoon tried to understand his comment as he opened up his phone. It was barely going to be five. School didn't start until eight in the morning. Jihoon wanted to crawl back into bed and kind of flip off Jun's mentor...but then...

"Shit!" Jihoon cursed. He threw off the covers and nearly tripped over Jun's long pajama pants.

"I'll leave the Zeta Tube warmed up for you so you can quickly head to school."

Jihoon stammered thanks as Zhou Mi left the room. 

He had stayed Sunday with Jun in Star City, loitering around the house watching TV on Jun's couch, and mostly staying on his phone. He was doing his best not to think of Batman and just block everything out. He had forgotten that he would need to go to school. He knew that while Batman wouldn't follow him here, he definitely would drag him out of bed and sit him right at his desk if he found out he was cutting. School was something that Bumzu always stressed.

"Shit!" Jihoon cursed as he came out of the bathroom with freshly brushed teeth. "I don't have my uniform here."

"Use mine," Jun yawned. "I have some shirts and slacks in the closet."

Jihoon rushed there. Gotham Academy had a strict dress code of khaki pants, a white dress shirt, red tie, and dark blue blazer with the Gotham Academy pin. He didn't have the blazer or tie here, so he just hoped he wouldn't be called out on it.

All of Jun's clothes were entirely too long on him, so Jihoon felt silly tucking in so much of his dress shirt and rolling up the ends of his pants. He shouted out thanks to Jun and rushed down the stairs to the basement of the mansion. 

He tumbled in the slightly too big shoes, but it would have to do. 

**GOTHAM** **  
** **2011 March 7, 7:55 a.m. EST**

_ "Robin B-01,"  _ the computer called out as Jihoon ran out of the fake payphone the Justice League had set up as an emergency Zeta Tube.

He ran in the direction of his school, remembering he also didn't have his backpack or other things.  _ Shit. _ His teachers were really going to give it to him. 

When he spotted the school's gates, Jihoon nearly cried out in relief as he saw Chan standing there, waiting for him. Chan was holding out his backpack, his blazer, and tie.

"Thank you," Jihoon muttered, embarrassed as he pulled on the blazer and threw his backpack over his shoulder.

Together the two sped walked to the entrance of the school. 

"Doogi told me to bring them," Chan informed. 

Jihoon stuck his tongue between his lips as he tied his tie. "Well, thanks."

"Soooo, are you coming back?" Chan asked, skipping straight to the point.

Jihoon frowned. "No."

"Oh."

"What? Are you going to tell me that Bumzu is worried?"

"I haven't seen him since you left. So I don't know what he's thinking."

"Do you normally know what he's thinking?"

"No, but..."

"Chan, just," Jihoon grunted as he tugged his tie too tight. "Can we talk about this during lunch?"

Chan looked like he wanted to talk back, but then the warning bell echoed around them. "Fine. But you better not hide from me." Chan pointed a serious finger at him and headed to the sixth grader's wing.

Jihoon rolled his eyes and walked to his freshman science class. 

He arrived just in time to drop his backpack onto his lab station. He looked over at the agenda on the board. _ Thank god.  _ Today was a notes day. It would mean he wouldn't have to focus on screwing up his lab. He reached inside his backpack and pulled out his notebook, and let his mind wander as he copied the presentation on the board. 

He mulled over Chan's question. Would he go back? Right now, he definitely did not want to. Bumzu didn't respect him to make his own decisions. If he was out there helping him fight crime and avoiding gunfire on a nightly basis, then Batman should learn to trust him to know how to jam a goddamn gun. 

He had made certain calculations that night. When he had arrived at the bank, he could immediately see that the men were more agitated than the usual bank robbers they obstructed. So Jihoon quietly diverted their attention and stole his gun, jamming the device. 

It worked.

They got out of it without a single person harmed. Jihoon thought Batman would be proud. Congratulate him. Place a friendly clap on the shoulder at least. Instead, Batman had yelled at him for being reckless.

He hadn't been.

He knew what he was doing.

Jihoon barely registered the bell ringing to go to his next class. He picked his things and then headed over to his history class. This carried on for half the day. Jihoon did the bare minimum in his classes and just kept waiting for the bell to ring so he could go to lunch. 

The bell rang fifteen minutes after noon, and Jihoon headed down to the cafeteria. He spotted Chan already there with his tray of food and speaking with some friends. Jihoon had been surprised by the younger kid. Despite growing up in the slums of Bludhaven, Chan was actually really sociable. He carried on a charismatic aura and had enough people skills to make some friends. He was well-liked by the staff as well. 

Jihoon, on the other hand, could be regarded as...an average kid. He got good enough grades to avoid serious talks with his teachers, followed the rules, so he never got in trouble with administration, and had a few classmates he could talk to. But all his classmates were school friends—not real buddies. 

Jihoon hung out with a group of two other kids during lunch, but he knew if he skipped lunch with them, they wouldn't really go out and look for him.

When his food was finished being served, Jihoon walked over to Chan's table. He hovered awkwardly behind him. Chan's friends shushed each other and pointed behind him. Chan turned around and gave him a big smile.

"Hey guys, I'm going to have lunch with my brother today. See you later in class." Chan grabbed his tray and started walking out of the cafeteria.

Jihoon followed him.

It was weird when Chan called him brother. He never called Jihoon "brother" outside of school, but it saved everyone the awkward questions when they saw them arrive together in the same car. 

They headed out to the quad, where mostly the seniors hung out. They eyed them weirdly for going into their territory, but they didn't say anything on the principle of who they were. Being Bumzu's adopted sons had its perks. 

They found a small alcove away from anyone who might want to eavesdrop and set their trays on it. They swung their legs over it and sat down facing each other.

Jihoon reached out for the rice first and started popping it into his mouth quickly. He forgot he hadn't had breakfast this morning in his rush to get to school.

"So, have you been staying with Jun?" Chan suddenly asked. 

Jihoon stole a glance at him and continued stuffing food in his mouth. "Yeah."

"You didn't answer my text last night."

"Sorry."

"I was really worried."

"I'm fine," Jihoon snapped.

Chan glared viciously and then pouted. "I know that! I know that you would be fine! But I've run away before, so I know…"

Jihoon saw the way Chan's shoulder sagged. "I'm sorry," Jihoon repeated...this time, actually meaning it. 

Chan shook his head in exasperation. Finally, he reached for his food. "Are you going to stay in Star City permanently?"

Jihoon shrugged, "I don't know about permanently, but I'm not going back to Bumzu's."

"I'm sure he's sorry."

Jihoon snorted. "I doubt it."

"He is."

"How would you know? You said you hadn't seen him."

"But I know him—"

"No, you don't. Not the real him. He treats you differently. He lets you get away with a lot more than he let me."

"That's not true."

Jihoon set his plate down and gave Chan a deadpan expression. "He didn't even say no when you said you wanted to train. He wouldn't let me at all."

Chan's voice grew soft, "I didn't know that."

"He's always treated me like I'm incapable of making my own decisions."

"Like I said…" Chan tried this time more hesitantly. "He's probably worried."

Jihoon shot a half-hearted glare in Chan's direction. 

"I'm going to miss you," Chan nearly whispered. 

Jihoon watched as Chan picked at his food and pouted. He sighed, "You'll be fine without me."

"But you're the one who helped me with my nightmares about…"

"Are you having them again?"

"No, but what if I do? I can't go to Bumzu for that. That's embarrassing."

"You can always call me."

"You don't even answer my texts!"

"Oh my god, Chan. It was one time. Here, look from here on out, I won't ignore your calls or messages. Okay? You can reach me for whatever reason and if I don't answer then call Jun. He'll make sure I pick up."

Chan eyed him up and down. He muttered an "Okay." But clearly, he wasn't really buying it. 

Jihoon sighed and reached over and patted Chan's knee. "You're going to be okay, Chan. I can see why you're Bumzu's favorite. You're a lot stronger than I was at your age."

"That's not true! I would never have the courage to talk to Bumzu like you did. I'll be scared out of my mind. I can't even talk back to Doogi!"

"Doogi is a lot scarier, though."

Chan laughed. "Can we have lunch together like this every day?"

"What about your friends?"

"I rather hang out with you."

Jihoon wanted to protest. It was best if Chan hung out with friends his own age—friends who weren't caught up in all this. Chan deserved a chance at some normalcy. But, he also understood...the need to seek out someone you can relate with. That's why Jihoon had bonded with Jun. Jun's family had been taken from him too. And while Chan had never really known his family—time and time again—the poor kid kept losing whatever semblance of it he could find.

"Okay, yeah. We can have lunch together."

Chan smiled so wide it hurt Jihoon's own cheeks just to look at.

The rest of the day was uneventful. School blended into one giant blur for him on even the best of days. He just wasn't that interested in it. He didn't understand how Chan actually liked school. 

The two walked out of the building together and to the front gate. As they approached the roundabout, different cars came to pick up the students. Jihoon froze as he spotted Doogi waiting for him.

Instinct wanted to kick in, and he wanted to run, but Doogi wasn't a part of this mess. He approached cautiously. Chan climbed into the car without a second thought, but Jihoon stopped right outside, meeting Doogi's eyes.

Doogi smiled down at him and reached inside the car to pull out a giant suitcase. "Here are your belongings, Master Jihoon."

He reached for the suitcase with trepidation. "Did Bumzu—"

"—No. This is all me. I understand that you need some space right now, and I also understand that you need a pair of clothes that actually fit." He scanned Jihoon's pants that had gotten unrolled on his walk here. 

Jihoon awkwardly tugged his pants up. "Thank you," He finally said.

"I presume you are staying with Zhou Mi?"

Jihoon nodded.

"Good. Remember to set your alarm to Gotham's time, so you don't run late again, okay?"

Jihoon nodded. "Did Bumzu ask for me?" Doogi's smile dropped, and that was answer enough. He dropped his gaze to the ground and scuffed Jun's shoes against the pavement. "I'll keep in touch with Chan."

Doogi nodded. "If there is anything you need, please don't hesitate to call."

Jihoon nodded again. He stepped out of the way as Doogi walked around the car into the driver's seat. He watched the sleek black vehicle drive down the street for a few moments before strolling in the direction of the Zeta Tube. 

**STAR CITY** **  
** **2011 April 15, 10:38 p.m. PST**

It had been a little over a month since Jihoon left Kye Manor. Throughout that entire time, he had been staying in Zhou Mi's estate and using the Zeta Tube to get to school. He was happy that it was finally Friday night. It hadn't been any fun going back and forth between time zones.

Zhou Mi has been more than kind in his stay here. He was sure that Zhou Mi had been telling Batman about how he was doing, but he hadn't asked him to prove his assumption. 

Zhou Mi had even given his own room—right next to Jun. Jun complained and whined about not spending the night with him anymore, but Zhou Mi contended him with another sticker pack. Jun was very easy to placate once you knew what made him happy. 

Jihoon was currently in the basement of the estate. Even though he wasn't crime-fighting anymore, he was still diligently keeping up with his training. It was just a shame that the estate didn't have gymnastics equipment, so he had to make due. Jihoon had stacked and folded many mats and used them as leverage to help him get a deeper stretch in his splits.

Jun was stretching beside him in a normal middle split, but he wasn't taking the stretching seriously. He was on his phone playing a game if the sound effects were anything to go by. 

"You don't have to do this with me if you don't want to," Jihoon told him as he switched to the other leg.

"I'm okay."

"You sure?"

"Yeah, this is easier than shooting arrows."

Jihoon laughed at Jun's laziness. "Well, you better get into a new stretch. It's not good to hold one pose for too long." 

Jun scrunched his face, but he moved his legs behind him, rolled, and lifted his hips into a bridge pose. Jun used his head for balance as he brought his hand up and continued playing.

Jihoon snorted. He stood up and dropped into a handstand and let gravity push his legs on either side of him. 

"Hey, Speedy."

They both heard Green Arrow enter the room. Zhou Mi only called him that on vigilante time. "There's an illegal shipment down at the docks. C'mon, suit up."

Jun nodded and quickly moved to get into his gear. 

Jihoon looked at Zhou Mi expectantly.

The older superhero sighed, "I can't take you, kid—"

"It's not my city. I know," Jihoon muttered. He lifted his legs straight into the air and watched as Jun and Zhou Mi rushed to leave the room.

He stayed in a handstand for a few minutes, letting the blood rush to his head. When he started to see red spots, he dropped his legs to the mat and sighed.

He was starting to get bored without any action. Zhou Mi had forbidden him from going into Star City in his Robin gear. He understood why. It wouldn't be a good look to show any villains that he had split with Batman. It would be a tool they could use against them. 

So he was forced into the basement. While Jun and Zhou Mi were off on their nightly patrols, sometimes Jihoon would practice with Jun's bow and arrows. He was okay in it. He didn't have his friend's accuracy. He probably would get better in it if he practiced, but archery didn't really interest him. Other times, he tinkered with the specs of the built-in computer on his left glove. He had developed it to display a holographic computer-interface, complete with holographic keyboard and hacking capabilities. He even attached a USB cable to his glove for the fun of it. 

Jihoon stood up and walked around the training area and then stopped.

His eyes fell on the computers in the corner of the room. 

He hadn't been forbidden to touch the computers, but there was a silent agreement built on respect that he wouldn't. Jihoon checked the time on his watch. They wouldn't be back for several hours. 

_ Fuck it.  _ He strolled to the computers and sat in the chair in front of the large screen. He turned on the computer, and it promptly asked him for a password. Jihoon pushed his luck—and successfully, he was able to hack into it. Within three seconds, he realized that this was  _ his _ program—the one he had designed for the Batcave. Had Batman shared his program with the team? 

It made Jihoon feel slightly giddy. 

He scrolled through the different files in the system, but a lot of it was really boring. There were traffic cams, police reports, contacts to business owners. Then suddenly, Jihoon noticed a folder labeled as Unsolved. He double-clicked it and read through the different files.

Most of it was cases from Star City alone, but several of them were Justice League related.

He knew a few of them already: Black Manta declaring war on Atlantis, Wonder Woman and her son missing. However, there was one file that caught his attention. 

Project S.COUPS

He double-clicked the file and was surprised to find a document with only a few words on it.

_ Pledis _ _   
_ _ Dr. Han Seongsu _

And that was it. Why would this be marked under unsolved case files? What was even the case? 

Jihoon huffed. He restored the computer so there wouldn't be a trace that he was on it and then shut it off. 

He had research to do. 

**STAR CITY** **  
** **2011 April 23, 10:00 p.m. PST**

It was Saturday night. Whatever criminals or activity happening in Star City had apparently called it a night. There hadn't been a blimp on Zhou Mi's radar. Instead, the hero was out patrolling the streets on his own.

Jihoon was lounging on Jun's couch while Jun took the floor. Jun was working on his math homework while Jihoon was on his laptop. He was supposed to be working on his English class essay but was using the time to research instead.

It had been a week since he found out about Project S.COUPS. Every time Jun or Zhou Mi left the mansion, he used it to find out more about the case. He learned that Pledis was a genetic research company, mostly working with stem cell research. There didn't seem anything odd about the company. It was located in San Francisco and about fifteen years old. 

He didn't understand why the League would be interested in something like this. What did they suspect? 

He had hacked into the security footage outside Pledis, but there wasn't anything worth mentioning. All the employees would arrive at opening time and leave at closing time. Nothing suspicious. And even when he had researched Dr. Han Seongsu, nothing jumped out at him. 

He had graduated with honors from Central City University, worked with STAR Labs for a few years, and then opened up his own company. 

He just didn't get it.

The only odd thing jumping out at him was that he couldn't hack into the company's files themselves. He only could find out about them from what was already on their website or what medical journals referenced them. 

"Hey, what's Pledis?"

Jihoon nearly jumped out of his skin as Jun appeared behind him. "Holy hell, Jun!" Jihoon shouted, swiping at him. Jun avoided his arm and leaned over him again. 

"What are you doing?" Jun tried again.

Jihoon considered lying. It would be easy too. He could just say that he was working on a science class project, but lying to Jun didn't settle so well in his stomach. 

He looked at Jun carefully, "Can you keep a secret?"

Jun nodded enthusiastically. He moved from behind Jihoon and sat beside him on the couch. Jihoon arranged the laptop over both their laps.

"I found out about this company through the League's files."

"Pledis?"

Jihoon hummed. "I don't know why this is on the League's radar. But it's marked unsolved."

"Have you asked Mi about it?"

Jihoon shook his head, "I kinda hacked the computer...well... it's not really hacking. It's my program that the League is using apparently soooo…"

He trailed off and then jumped as his computer started beeping. 

Jun eyed the computer strangely. "Did you get caught?"

"No, I programmed my laptop to give me any news reports about the company. Huh. There's a fire at the building."

Jihoon was quiet for a minute as he read the tiny news report that the fire had started ten minutes earlier, and the fire department was already on their way.

"Let's go then!" Jun shouted.

"What?"

"Let's go. You said it's in San Francisco. That's only an hour's drive, I think. We'll take the bikes. I don't think there's a Zeta Tube there."

Jihoon gaped as Jun stood to his feet. "You can't be serious."

"I am! C'mon! Zhou Mi isn't here. We'll just go check it out."

Jihoon puffed out his cheeks, contemplating his friend's over. Finally, he said, "Let's suit up."

**SAN FRANCISCO** **  
** **2011 April 23, 9:57 p.m. PST**

Jihoon and Jun arrived at the scene with a pair of motorcycles they had stolen from Zhou Mi's garage. They removed their helmets as they looked over the building. It was a two-story building on the outskirts of San Francisco. There weren't any other buildings surrounding it except for the huge parking lot where many fire trucks were lined up. The firefighters were just about done putting out the flames.

Jihoon watched the building. He still wanted to see what the company was working on, but he would need one of their computers to investigate further. 

"Hey," Jihoon said, catching Jun's attention. "Let's go inside. See if any of the computers survived."

Jun nodded. 

They stayed close to the shadows, avoiding the attention of any of the firefighters or other first responders. They found a window that was blown out by the flames. Jihoon reached for his grappling hook, and Jun shot an arrow. Both of them were pulled up into the second story, and they landed light on their feet.

Jihoon nearly cheered as he saw a computer in the corner of the room. It didn't look to be harmed. He quickly ran over to it and decided to test his built-in-computer to help him hack it faster. 

Jun, meanwhile, looked around the room. When he found nothing suspicious, he walked out into the dark hall. He paused as he saw two figures inside the elevators. He couldn't quite get a good look at them as the elevators shut. 

"Robin?" Jun called. Jihoon stepped out into the hall. "I think I saw something inside the elevators. Shouldn't they automatically turn off during a fire?"

Jihoon eyed the elevators strangely. "Those are express elevators. They're used in Kye Tech, definitely not suited for two-story buildings." 

They approached the elevators together. Jun reached back into his quiver and pulled out an arrow with a thick base. He wedged it between the elevator doors, and they both ran several feet away before it could denote. 

The arrow exploded, busting a small crack between the doors. They approached again and, together, pushed the elevator doors open all the way.

"Woaaaaaah!" Jun whistled, looking down. 

Jihoon expressed the same sentiment. He couldn't tell how many floors it went down. "Now, we know why they needed an express elevator." Jihoon looked up for a good place to set his rope. He shot his grappling hook and kicked off.

The rope pulled him straight down. Jun followed after him.

Jihoon kept track of the floor numbers printed in large lettering on the walls of the elevator shaft. 

23, 24, 25, 26

His rope stopped. He looked below his feet. There were still about four more floors below him. "I guess this is where I get off." Jihoon swung his body to land on the small ledge. Jun appeared next to him a moment later.

There wasn't any emergency release button, and Jun's detonators wouldn't be of any use in such a small space. 

He crouched low and touched a few buttons on his built-in computer system. He typed a few things and grinned, "Man, these people, and their weak security systems. C'mon. It should open easily."

The two pulled open the elevator doors and stepped inside. Their mouths nearly fell open. They were in some kind of long hallway chrysalis. The walls were red, engorged mounds and were...pulsating. They looked like an exposed muscle. It was too freaky. 

"This is the part where I would normally scream," Jun said, keeping both hands close to his chest to avoid touching anything.

"I'm guessing this is the real Pledis."

"The real Pledis?! It looks like we're in some deviled anus."

Jihoon sighed. "Let's keep walking. There are doors up ahead."

Jihoon took the lead, with Jun clutching the back of his shoulders. His friend would occasionally input his commentary with the added effect of screeching and groans of disgust. Jihoon shared the same feeling but did his best to push past the grossness factor.

He opened one of the doors and stepped inside.

Thankfully, they were away from the sickly walls—only smooth steel ones here. Except, this time, they were in a large room with dozens, if not hundreds, of containment pods with strange creatures floating inside them. As opposed to the hallway, this room was glowing blue. Occasionally one of the pods would light up, and a jolt of electricity would shoot into some tube that led into the ceiling.

Jihoon stepped closer to the pod, and Jun hid behind him but peeked over his shoulder to examine them as well. Gray mosquito looking aliens, as large as Jun, slept inside the pod. They had bladed wings, hunched backs, and a nose that hung down into a sharp point.

"I hope they don't wake up," Jun said behind him.

Jihoon shivered, "Please, don't jinx us."

He stepped closer to get a better look at the machinery on top. "This is why I couldn't hack their systems before. They're completely off the grid. I don't even think they're running on real electricity."

"What are they?" Jun asked.

Jihoon spotted a computer console in the center of the long hallway. "Let's find out." He pulled out a small USB port from his gloves and connected it to the computer's mainframe. It took him a while to get past the encryption, but finally, "They call them genomorphs. They built them. Woah! Look at these things! Super strength, telepathy, razor wings, venom."

Jun gasped beside him, realizing at the same time Jihoon had, "They're breeding them as living weapons for an army. This must be Project S.COUPS."

Jihoon shook his head, digging further into the files. "No. They have this labeled as the energy power plant. Here! I found Project S.COUPS...and shit! It's triple encrypted. I can't hack it from here. I would need to access the computer where it's stored...I can see it's located two more levels down."

Jun laughed nervously, "You want us to go further down that freaky hall."

"It was your idea coming here!"

"Yeah, I just thought we were going to find a biochemical weapon!"

"Oh! Like a biochemical weapon is less scary than this?"

Jun scrunched both hands in his face and then swung his arms in the direction of the pods containing the engineered aliens. "YES!" He shouted.

And, oh. He shouldn't have done that.

Both of them froze as they heard the door at the other end of the hall open. In his late fifties, a man wearing glasses and a lab coat stepped through the door and spotted them. 

"Intruders!" He yelled. He outstretched his arm and slammed it against some button on the side of the wall. A giant hiss made them freeze again. Two of the containment pods opened. 

"You jinxed it!" Jihoon shrieked, running through the door that came through.

Jun laughed out a terrified apology as the two genomorphs flew after them. Their wings beat like knives cutting through the air, and the noises they let out were hurting their ears. Jihoon and Jun kept sprinting down the freaky pulsating hallway and spotted a door that clearly was labeled as stairs. Jihoon burst through the door, and both of them didn't even bother with them. They swung down two flights and continued running.

"Project S.COUPS has to be around here somewhere," Jihoon yelled as the Genomorphs were still behind them.

"Is that what we're doing?! I thought we were running from the giant mosquitos!"

"We can multitask!"

They reached the end of a hall with a vaulted circular door. Just from the look of it, it looked like they weren't going to be able to get past it. No, and they were about to be cornered, and while Jihoon was confident in his fighting abilities, he wasn't sure about fighting engineered aliens.

The universe must have been on their side because suddenly, a woman wearing a labcoat exited the vault. Jun cheered. He shot an arrow, and the woman gasped as her lab coat got stuck to freaky pulsating walls behind her. They ran into the vault and the door shut right in time before the genomorphs got them. They heard them splatter sickeningly across the door.

"Ah! Gross!" Jun whined as a bit of green goo slid under the vault.

He stepped out of the way as Jihoon moved to the small computer controlling the vault. He quickly entered the system.

"I disabled the door," Jihoon said, dragging a hand through his hair. "Trapped...but we're safe for now."

"Uh...Robin? You'll wanna see this."

Jihoon turned in Jun's direction. His arms dropped to his sides. Carefully, he stepped forward.

A giant glass and metal chamber that stretched up to the ceiling sat in the center of the room. Inside the chamber was a pod filled with a liquid holding up a young male teen with dark black hair. The teen was wearing a stretched out white latex suit with a giant "S" imprinted on his chest. 

"Is that Superman?" Jihoon asked.

Jun stood straighter as he marched up close to the chamber. Right below the chamber were three gray hairless cats—at least he hoped they were cats. They were sitting upright with their eyes closed and two cords attached to their head. Jun examined the cords and noticed they led into the chamber. 

He kneeled down to observe the scene more closely, "I think," Jun said slowly. "I think it's a clone."

Jihoon gawked at the scene. He had never come into contact with something like this. Guns, drugs, robberies, trafficking—that was a normal night for him. This...Jihoon didn't even know what to think.

"Robin," Jun urged. "Hack."

Jihoon shakily nodded, "Right." He approached a giant console computer beside the chamber. It took him longer than he would have liked to enter the system, but when he did, he didn't like what he had found.

He read the information aloud, "Superboy: a clone made through an artificial embryo and Superman's DNA. They've been growing him in that pod as a fetus into that teen for over fifteen years. The white solar suit allows him to absorb yellow sun radiation 24/7. And those three-looking cat things are genomorphs too. They're telepathically force-feeding him an education. Each genomorph focuses on…" Jihoon trailed off as he noticed that Jun wasn't paying attention.

"Speedy!" He shrieked as he saw Jun petting one of the cat-looking genomorphs. Its eyes were open and glowing white.

Jun shot up like a spring, "Sorry." The cat's eyes stopped glowing, and they shut again. 

Jihoon sighed and went back to reading the file. "This is Project S.COUPS. S for Superman and COUPS for coup d'état. They're making a living weapon out of Superman's son." 

"We should contact the league," Jun said.

Jihoon thinned his lips and nodded. As much as he didn't want to talk to Batman, this was way above them. He reached for the small communicator he always kept in his ear and pressed the button. All he heard was static. Jun tried to, "Nothing," his friend said.

"We must be in too deep...literally," Jihoon stuttered.

"What do we do?" Jun asked, deferring to him.

Jun's heart thumped erratically as the responsibility was shifted to him. But this is what he wanted. He took a deep breath, "Let's set him free. It's not right to leave him like this."

His fingers deftly typed over the computer's keyboard, and then he hit the release button. The chamber hissed, and then the liquid inside the chamber started flowing down a small pipe. The teen was lowered to his feet, slumped against the back glass. The chamber opened.

Jihoon and Jun held their breath as the teen continued sleeping. 

"Do we call his name?" Jun asked, right as the clone opened his eyes.

Without hesitation, the clone launched at Jun and pinned him to the ground. Immediately, the clone punched him repeatedly across the face. Jihoon sprinted to them and tried to pull him off Jun—but he was dealing with Superman level strength. 

He reached inside his utility belt and pulled a smoke bomb. He forced it inside the clone's mouth. The teen struggled to breathe, and Jun used his foot to kick him in the chest.

Superboy flew backward with force. 

Jihoon always used his bo staff on one on one battles, but this wasn't something he could win in combat. He reached for his utility belt and found his taser gun. He set the level to its highest setting and shot it straight at the clone right as he was coming forward again.

It didn't even phase him. He gripped the cords of the taser gun and pulled Jihoon toward him. Jihoon gasped as he found himself flat on his back with Superboy's foot ramming against his chest. Jihoon tried to suck in a breath and shove the foot off.

His heart was thumping wildly against his ribcage, and blood was rushing to his head. Oh god, he was going to die. "Speedy," he gasped out. 

He expected Jun to start shooting arrows. Instead, Jun shouted, "We're on your side!"

The crushing pressure stopped, and instead, only a foot pressed against him. Jihoon sucked in a large breath and coughed immediately after.

"You...you were in my head," Superboy spoke in realization. 

He stepped away from Jihoon and walked toward Jun.

Jihoon rolled to his side, white spots flickered in his vision. He shut his eyes, trying to get his bearings. He saw Jun twitching, itching to reach for an arrow, but he stood straight, even if his voice came out shaky, "I think when I touched the genomorph." Jun pointed to the three cats that were still sleeping in front of the chamber.

Superboy glanced at the cats for a moment. 

"We're friendly! You felt it when I touched it, right?" Jun cried out. "We're with the League. With Superman!" 

The teen turned back to Jun. "Superman?"

"Yeah! We're buddies," Jun laughed nervously.

Superboy nodded. He walked away from Jun and returned to Jihoon. Jihoon felt his heartbeat pick up again. However, Superboy only reached out and helped him to his feet. Jihoon nervously took a shuddering breath. 

"Will you take me to him?" Superboy asked.

"To Superman?" Jun asked incredulously. "Yeah, sure! But you have to help us get out of this crazy place."

The teen's eyes dropped to the ground, and Jihoon was perplexed by the action. "Crazy? Pledis is my home."

Jihoon grunted in pain as he took his first step, "Is it? Do...do you know what you are?"

The teen's face hardened as he glared at Jihoon. Jihoon took a cautious step back. "My name is Superboy," he responded. "I was created by Pledis as a weapon. They designed me in case Superman ever strayed from the light."

"Did the genomorphs tell you that?" Jihoon questioned.

"Yes, Pledis fed me different knowledge. I can read, write; I can name the different components of the sky."

Jun stepped forward and sadly asked, "But have you really seen it?"

Superboy shook his head. There Jihoon gathered the information together. He wasn't best at reading people daily, but this clone—this person—wasn't very good at masking his emotions. Sadness was etched into his large eyes as he answered, "They've kept me in that pod since I was a fetus. I've never been out of it."

"Superboy," Jihoon said. He was terrified by him, but he knew that this was all wrong. "It's not fair of them to keep you trapped like an experiment—you're more than that. Just by looking at you, I can tell you have thoughts and emotions. They created a person. It's not right of them to keep you here. We can take you to Superman if that's what you want, even introduce you to him. You can be more than what Pledis designed you for." 

They all jumped in place as the vault opened.

Jihoon immediately recognized the man from his research, Dr. Han Seongsu. Behind him were the same woman that Jun had pinned to the wall and two flying and buzzing genomorphs.

"He is only a weapon," the doctor said, approaching them. He had one of the cat genomorphs on his shoulder. "He belongs to Pledis and me."

"I don't think so!" Jihoon shouted. He pushed through the lingering pain in his chest and pulled out his bo staff.

The doctor huffed, "Get back in your pod now!" 

Jun's voice quaked, "Superboy."

"Don't start thinking now!" The doctor shouted. "Get back in your pod!" 

Superboy glanced at Jihoon and Jun and then back at the doctor. "Don't give me orders."

He pulled his fist back to attack, but before his punch could meet his target, the cat on the doctor's shoulder glowed. The two genomorph mosquitos flew forward. Superboy caught one of them and threw it at the other. The two genomorphs crashed against the doctor and his lab assistant. 

"Let's go," Superboy told them.

Jihoon and Jun nodded. 

They sprinted out of the vault, not before, Jihoon pulled out a small detonator and chucked it at the chamber. The pod exploded, sending shards of glass everywhere.

"Awaken all the genomorphs!" The doctor cried out.

As they ran down the hall, Jun and Jihoon now understood why the walls were pulsating before. The sound of stretching and tearing echoed around them, and then all the mosquito genomorphs were being fully hatched from their cocoons and heading straight toward them.

Jun shrieked loudly and shot two arrows. He managed to incapacitate them by the wings, but there were too many. Superboy charged forward, gripped one by the wings, and used it like a bowling ball to throw it at the others to clear their path.

"C'mon! We just have to make it to the elevators!" Jihoon shouted.

When they saw the elevator doors approaching, Jihoon crouched to hack the system, but Superboy screamed and ripped the doors open.

"I'll fly us out of here," Superboy said. 

"Woah!" Jun giggled as Superboy grabbed him by the waist and tugged him close. Jihoon held on tight as Superboy leaped into the air.

They flew up to the 20th floor before the momentum and gravity started pulling them down. Jihoon gasped. He reached for his hook and shot it at a nearby ledge. All of them crashed against the wall, and Jun made sure they didn't fall off. 

Superboy stuttered, "I'm supposed to be able to fly."

Jun and Jihoon shared a look. They couldn't offer their sympathy as they saw an elevator descending their way. 

"Superboy, open the door!" Jihoon yelled.

Superboy reached for the elevator doors and pulled them open. They ended up on the 18th sub-level floor. 

Immediately, they were met with more genomorphs. 

"There's too many; let's go!" Jihoon cried, running down a different hall. At least here, the walls weren't freaky and were just solid concrete and steel. 

Jun and Superboy followed.

"This way!" Superboy screamed next, turning down a different direction.

Jihoon and Jun obeyed whichever direction Superboy wanted them to follow. At first, Jihoon figured that Superboy had the building's map implanted in him by the genomorphs until they stopped at a dead end. 

"I thought you knew where you were going!" Jihoon shouted at him. 

Superboy didn't seem perturbed. He looked off into the distance and said, "The voice says to hack the security systems and motion sensors."

"Voice?" Jun squeaked. "Robin,  _ he hears voices _ ."

"The voice is telling you, you are running out of time. He said hack the motion sensors to make it seem like we are on the level below and we can take the vent."

_ "What voice?!"  _ Jun shrieked.

Jihoon's heart stuttered. What would Batman do? Was Superboy compromised? Was he fooling them and working for Pledis? The buzzing of wings answered his question. Jihoon activated his built-in-computer and looked through the system files. He did exactly as told and then spotted a vent to Jun's left.

"C'mon Speedy," Jihoon grumbled.

Superboy pulled the vent open.

All three of them ducked inside and then army-crawled through them until they got to the two floors above.

"The voice says we can get out here and take the stairs," Superboy said. He punched at the vent before Jihoon and Jun could protest, and they all tumbled down. 

"A little warning," Jihoon snapped. He had been battered enough for one day.

They fell in a hallway right next to a door with the stairs. 

They were on the 16th floor. Jihoon sighed and looked over at Jun, "You never do enough cardio anyway." 

Jun replied with just a loud scream and ran up the stairs. It didn't take long for the genomorphs to find them. This time there was even a bigger swarm than before. 

Superboy caught him and Jun again and said, "No time. I'll jump from here."

They leaped into the air again, and both Jihoon and Jun reacted instinctively. Jihoon threw a detonating device below, and Jun shot out two explosive arrows.

It exploded against the genomorphs sending gray matter and green slime everywhere. The two young heroes gagged. 

They landed on the tenth-floor stairs. Superboy jumped again. 

The three of them crashed onto the first-floor building of Pledis. The entrance was there waiting for them, but then, Jihoon realized something. Who knew how many genomorphs were down there?

"We can't just leave!" He yelled. Batman wouldn't. 

Jihoon stopped running and turned to the hole they had jumped out of. "We can't let those things in the city!"

_ Anything for the mission. _

"You're insane!" Jun shrieked, but he went running to stand beside him. He held his bow and arrow taut. 

Jun shot as quickly as he could at every genomorph that flew through the hole while Jihoon batted them with his bo staff. Superboy was just using his fists to knock them dead. But there were way too many, and Jun was quickly running out of arrows.

Jihoon jumped back as one of the mosquitos flew by him. He dodged as it's razor-sharp poker tried to pierce him. He found his opening and swung his bo staff across its poker. It snapped in two, and the creature cried out in pain. Jihoon struck again on top of its head. It splattered sickeningly.

He needed to think.

How could they stop all of these at once?

His breath came in short pants as he tried to come up with an answer. They had to blow everything up, including the bottom level floors.

Jihoon spotted the front desk by the entrance. He jumped to it and slid under the desk, hoping that Jun and Superboy had enough to hold them back long enough. He hacked into their systems again, much easier, now that he knew what to look for and looked through their generators. He overturned all of them with power, hoping it would be enough to explode. 

Immediately, he heard rumbling from beneath the lower floors.

"Guys!" Jihoon yelled, peeking out from underneath the desk. "Let's go!"

"I thought you said we had to stay!" Jun grunted as he gave up with his arrows and just used his bow to knock a mosquito against the wall. 

Superboy ran toward them, "The voice said the building is about to explode. They set something on the lowest floor."

_ "Who is the voice?!"  _ Jun shrieked.

Superboy didn't answer. He gripped Jun and Jihoon tight and crashed through the glass door of the entrance. 

They landed in the parking lot several yards away and only managed to escape in time as the building rumbled and a huge explosion rattled the whole building. Superboy did his best to cover Jun and Jihoon from any incoming debris with his body. 

The explosion felt like an earthquake beneath their bodies. It lasted longer than expected, and when all three of them hesitantly looked up, the entire building was torn down and in shambles. 

"Did we get them all?" Jun hesitantly asked.

"I hope so," Jihoon answered.

His eyes fell past the building and to the Justice League, slowly descending from the sky. The team was led by both Batman, Superman, and Green Arrow.

_ Oh no. _

They were going to be in serious shit. 

**PLEDIS** **  
** **2011 April 23, 10:49 p.m. PST**

"I think we're lost."

"We're not."

"You should ask for directions."

_ "I know where I'm at, Jeonghan. _ We studied the map together."

Jeonghan pressed his lips together to stop from laughing. He couldn't help but tease his best friend. Jisoo never really snapped at him or truly yelled at him, but it was fun to see the murderous intent behind his eyes and smile. Except, this time, Jeonghan couldn't really see them. 

Both of them were wearing their standard-issue H.I.V.E gear. It was a full-body black kevlar suit and helmet. The only touch of color was the eight-piece yellow honeycomb imprinted on their chest that displayed their loyalty to Queen Boo. 

"Well, we've been wandering this place for about an hour and can't find the doctor and…." Jeonghan trailed off as he felt three active and frazzled minds right below their elevator.  _ Interesting.  _ Did the subject escape? 

"Did you sense him?" Jisoo asked when he noticed his friend had gone quiet.

"No, I think I found Project S.COUPS." Jeonghan smiled as he sensed them run down the hall. 

"Our orders were to retrieve the doctor."

Jeonghan chuckled, "Those were your orders. Our queen told me to make sure the subject escaped." Jeonghan shut his eyes and reached out telepathically to the subject.  _ Take a left and then a right. _ He told him. Jeonghan and Jisoo had memorized the entire map of the building. It was effortless to get information from the employees once they had blown up the first two upper floors. 

He guided Project S.COUPS to safety and let the telepathic connection go when he guided them to the stairs. The elevator doors opened, and they got to the 28th floor.

Jeonghan examined the walls of the hall. They were completely disgusting as now empty sacks of pus and liquid oozed from them.

They didn't have to walk much as they got to an open vault.

Jeonghan smirked as they spotted their target. The doctor was madly typing away on his computer while he shouted orders at the genomorph.

Jisoo seemed to have the same sentiment. Jisoo raised his hands and then said, " _ Sert a tuohtiw sraeppasid." _ His magic made the computer console vanish. The doctor shrieked in confusion and wildly looked around the room.

He froze when he spotted Jisoo and Jeonghan at the entrance. His eyes fell to the insignia on their chests, and he visibly shook.

"Hello, doctor," Jeonghan greeted. "It looks like your project was a failure."

"I will get him back!" Dr. Han Seongsu shouted.

Jeonghan rolled his eyes underneath his helmet. "That doesn't concern us. Queen Boo has taken quite an interest in you."

"Why?"

"H.I.V.E needs Pledis' most brilliant mind," Jeonghan sweet-talked.

The man lowered his defenses. "What for?"

"We need a scientist who specializes in alien biology."

The doctor shook his head, "I only know Kryptonian."

Jisoo spoke next, "An alien is an alien."

Jeonghan scoffed and shot Jisoo a look. He made sure to send him a clear telepathic message of his glare. 

His friend shrugged, "Sorry," Jisoo said.

"So," Jeonghan continued. "Will you come with us?"

"If I say no?"

Jeonghan used his telekinetic powers to lift the man in the air. He screamed to be put down. Jeonghan ignored him and walked up to him, observing his pathetic cries of help. "We can easily kidnap you, but that wouldn't be any fun. I wonder how long it will take for your brain to hemorrhage hanging upside down."

He shifted his hands until the man's feet were in the air. The man struggled. 

"Put me down! I'll go!"

Jeonghan chuckled. He dropped the man onto his head. Then walked back to Jisoo.

"That was our shortest one yet," he told his friend. "Let's go."

"Wait. I have to destroy Pledis."

Jeonghan backtracked, "Our orders were to retrieve the doctor."

Jisoo tilted his head, and even with the helmet, Jeonghan knew his friend was smirking. "Those were  _ your orders _ ." Jisoo stepped around the room and looked up at the ceiling. "I can give us five minutes to escape."

Jeonghan nodded and watched his friend take a deep breath. He laid his palms up and spoke the incantation,  _ "Eirbed saw tfel saw eht lla, noddegamrap saw ti. _ " 

A small orange ball of light appeared in front of Jisoo. It circled him twice and then shot to the ceiling, where it phased through.

"Now, we can go," Jisoo said.

Jeonghan chuckled in disbelief. The three of them walked back to the elevators, and Jeonghan smirked as he felt Project S.COUPS still fighting. He sent him a warning. _ It would be a shame if you missed your chance at freedom because the building is about to explode. You have a few moments before it does. Take your friends and go. _

He didn't feel any pushback from the subject, so Jeonghan figured his job was done.

Good, it meant he could return to base and actually get some sleep. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun little tidbits for those of you who are familiar with superheroes
> 
> Jeonghan is essentially Miss Martian from the comics. He is an alien from outer space with the following abilities: Flight, shapeshifting, telepathy, telekinesis, camouflage, and density shifting. Joshua is Zantanna from the comics. He can use magic by speaking the desired effect backwards. And because Joshua is wonderful at cheesy puns and jokes,I thought I would bring that into this fic. 
> 
> Spell One: Sert a tuohtiw sraeppasid…..dissapears without a Tres. Is from the joke: A Mexican magician tells the crowd he will disappear at the count of 3. He goes,"Uno, Dos...." and POOF! He disappears without a Tres.
> 
> Spell Two: eirbed saw tfel saw eht lla,noddegamraP saw tI…..It was Parmageddon,all the was left was debrie. Is from the joke: Did you hear about the cheese factory explosion? It was Parmageddon,all the was left was debrie
> 
> Let me know what you thought of this chapter. Reviews make me write faster~

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on twitter [twinklingpaopu](https://twitter.com/twinklingpaopu)


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